The USD 231 Board of Education debated whether to remove the title 'Jesus Land' from district library collections during a contentious discussion that included personal testimony from board members and public speakers.

The matter came up after the board placed the title on the agenda for review. Beth Byrd, librarian at Gardner–Edgerton High School, addressed the board earlier in the meeting and argued that reopening review after a prior decision contradicts the board’s own book-review policy and would create precedent for repeated challenges (public comment recorded at SEG 666–743).

During the board discussion (recorded beginning SEG 2004), one board member urged colleagues to retain the book, arguing that hearing diverse experiences can help students and possibly help survivors recognize abuse; another board member responded that their vote would be to remove the book and said the district had supported other books with similar themes but not with the same level of graphic content. A formal motion to remove the title was made and seconded (motion recorded at SEG 2081–2092). Members spoke at length, at times relating personal experiences and views on precedent and policy. One board member said no parents had sought to prohibit access to the book, a point used by colleagues arguing against removal.

The transcript records the motion and second but does not include a roll-call tally or final recorded outcome in the publicly available text for this meeting. Because the public record in the transcript does not capture a vote result, this article reports only the motion and the substance of the debate as recorded.

The debate raised procedural and policy questions highlighted in public comment: whether the board is following its own book-review rules, who requested the item be placed on the agenda, and how the district should balance parental requests with professional review processes. A librarian present said she will file an open-records request to determine who put the item on the agenda.

No final adoption or removal outcome is documented in the transcript provided here; additional public records or subsequent meeting minutes would be required to confirm any final board action.