Banned Books

The library board that serves Collinsville and Fairmont City will remain conservative leaning after Tuesday’s election.

The Mississippi Valley Library District board of trustees has been caught up in culture war-like issues for the past two years. On Tuesday, three of its seven seats are open, and the winners will steer the board as it navigates issues including aging facilities and staff unionization.

The Mississippi Valley Library District board of trustees currently has a 3-3 ideological split. Finding a replacement for a vacant board spot just a couple of months before the election could swing the board away from a conservative majority.

The school board voted 5-2 in favor of the policy to allow hate speech, false science and false historical claims if a book is “educationally suitable.” But books will still be banned for containing drug use, descriptions of crime and sexual conduct.

If the policy amendment passes, "hate speech, false science, and false historical claims” would be allowed in educational materials — but books would still be banned for containing drug use, descriptions of crime and sexual conduct.

The new policy bans books that include excessive violence, drug use and sexual content. Another measure aims to keep students and teachers from talking about gender identity in the classroom.

Opponents of the policies are threatening legal action if the board passes measures requiring students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match the sex on their birth certificates.

More than 300 Illinois far-ranging statutes will become laws in the new year, including prohibitions on book bans and enshrining the right to sue for "deepfake porn."

The efforts to remove books from school libraries started with parents in local school districts and eventually led to state legislatures. After two years of controversy, one school librarian says her colleagues are leaving the profession because it has become too painful.

For the median homeowner in Collinsville, whose home is worth $182,000, there will be an estimated increase of $9.38 in property taxes next spring. In Fairmont City, where the median home is worth $100,000, there will be an increase of $4.95, according to district documents.