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Two public commenters urge Omaha Public Schools to remove 'The Bluest Eye' and question classroom/library content
Summary
Two speakers used public comment to request removal of books from OPS libraries and raise concerns about curricular content and classroom practices they said harmed students. They cited material in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and broader objections to library and classroom exposure to sexually explicit or ideologically one-sided content.
Two members of the public spoke during the board’s public comment period about books and classroom content.
Michelle Rogers read passages from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and said the novel contains explicit sexual violence and other material she objects to being available in four OPS schools. She told the board the book had been banned in several states and asked the district to remove it from school collections. Rogers provided a written handout to the board and read selected graphic passages, stating her concern about the book’s availability to students.
Mikaela Khazer, who identified herself as a college student who has addressed the board in earlier years, described her own experiences in school (she said she attended Miller North, not OPS) and recounted classroom materials and teacher practices she described as politically one-sided and harmful. Khazer said the classroom exposure to certain books and materials had negative mental-health effects on some students and urged the board to meet with commenters to understand their perspectives and to consider changes.
The board did not take formal action during public comment. Both speakers asked the district to review library holdings and to consider changes. Staff received handouts and the speakers’ remarks were recorded on the meeting record.
