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Rockingham County board removes several challenged books after content review; some titles retained for limited use
Summary
At its March 10 meeting the Rockingham County School Board voted on seven books reviewed under RCPS content policies, approving several removals and retaining others (board votes recorded for each title).
The Rockingham County School Board considered seven titles at its March 10 meeting after a content review committee evaluated material under RCPS policies IIABB/IIABA.
Superintendent Dr. Shiflett presented the committee's recommendations, repeatedly stating that the recommended removals contained "explicit content" as defined by district policy. "...I recommend removing Red, White, and Royal Blue by [Casey McQuilston] because the book contains explicit content as that term is defined in RCPS's policy IIABA," he said when introducing the first title.
The board moved and voted on each title. Recorded outcomes in the meeting record include:
- Red, White, and Royal Blue — motion to remove; approved (recorded vote: 5–0). - Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender — motion to remove; the board voted with a minority opposed (transcript records an opposition and the motion carried). (vote recorded in transcript as passing; roll‑call details: one voiced opposition). - Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton — recommendation to retain; motion to retain at the high school level only was approved (recorded vote: 5–0). - Fade by Lisa McMann — recommendation to retain but a motion to remove carried (transcript records the vote as 4–1). - Tilt by Ellen Hopkins — motion to remove carried (recorded vote: 5–0). - Trix by Ellen Hopkins — motion to remove carried (recorded vote: 5–0). - The Duff by Cody Keplinger — discussion noted numerous pages flagged as explicit; the motion to remove was made and the transcript records the motion as carried.
Board members citing public‑record reasons identified specific page ranges for a number of challenged titles. One member cited explicit passages in Felix Ever After on "pages 200, 255 and 256." For The Duff the record lists many flagged pages across the text (for example pages 34, 52–53, 65–68, 75, 83, 91, 95, 105–106, 131–132, 138, 148–149, 165–168, 176–177 and 224–225) that board members referenced during discussion.
The board recorded a mix of unanimous and split votes across the items; several motions were unanimous while others had a single opposing vote. Board members did not provide detailed written excerpts in the public packet; decisions were taken on the floor and entered into the record as motions and voice votes.
The board concluded action items after the book votes and moved on to information items and presentations.
(Article notes: motions and vote tallies are reported as stated in the meeting transcript. Where the audio or transcript rendered numerals ambiguously (for example, a recorded phrase transcribed as "motion passes for 1"), the minutes in this report paraphrase the result consistent with the board's voiced yea/nay statements.)
