RALEIGH, N.C. — A grant that would help Wake County schools promote Banned Books Week is drawing complaints from some conservatives that it’s actually meant to get sexually inappropriate books in the hands of students.

The Wake County school board voted 5-2 this week to allow individual schools to apply for grants of up to $1,000 from The Freedom to Read Foundation. According to the foundation, the grants will “support activities that raise awareness of intellectual freedom and prevent censorship.”

“Honestly, I can’t think of a better time or a more important place for a grant like this to matter,” Margaret Bilodeau, a Wake County parent, told the school board in public comments before the vote. “Let’s be real. There’s an organized ongoing effort underway in Wake County to remove books from schools.”

One of the stated uses of the grants is to promote activities during Banned Books Week, an annual event that brings attention to book challenges in schools and libraries. The American Library Association founded the Freedom to Read Foundation, although both are separate organizations.

“The grant in consent (agenda) today was for Freedom to Read Foundation, which also speaks about the intent for professional development for our librarians to work around book banning,” said school board member Cheryl Caulfield. “I want to be clear that no one is trying to ban books.

“It is important to clarify that there is a difference between banning books and parents wanting to see more appropriate books in the school setting that their young children are exposed to.”

Caulfield and board member Wing Ng voted against the grant. Caulfield and Ng have voted against other grants, including ones applying for money for LGBTQ projects and to purchase diverse books for schools.

Caulfield, who has announced she will run for state Senate in 2026, was praised by the Wake County Republican Party. In a post Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, the Wake GOP said Caulfield was speaking out against books that “ contain erotic adult content & gender confusing themes.”

‘God sent me’

The fight over the grant comes amid a raging debate in North Carolina and nationally about whether school libraries contain books that are too sexually explicit for students.

Some of the questioned books contain scenes about characters having sex. Many of the targeted books feature LGBTQ+ themes and characters.

One of the frequently targeted books is “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson. The memoir talks about Johnson’s experiences growing up gay and Black and includes scenes involving anal and oral sex.

“I’m not going to deny that in some points of the book there was sexual content,” Harper Rossi, a Wake high school student, told the school board. “However, I feel that when read in the context of the book, it’s more than reasonable for high schoolers.

“Taking out-of-context quotes or images from a text does not show that the book has no value in our school libraries. I urge you to fight back against these attempts at censoring our media because otherwise we lose books which provide real value to our students.”

But Edith Jones, a Wake County resident, told the board on Tuesday it needs to “repent and change” for exposing students to “demonic, dark books.”

“You don’t love them because of the decisions you have made that allow them to read these books in the schools to learn from transgenderism,” Jones said. “You know what? You’re going to be held accountable. You’re going to be held accountable, and God sent me to tell you that you will be held accountable.”

Approximately 50 people attended a protest outside the Wake County school board meeting in Cary on April 5, 2022 to protest what they say is the distribution of obscene books in school libraries. T. Keung Hui khui@newsobserver.com

Promoting ‘wholesome content’

In April, the state House passed legislation that would prohibit school libraries from having books that include “descriptions or visual depictions of sexual activity or (are) pervasively vulgar.”

The “Promoting Wholesome Content for Students” bill creates a process where 10 or more letters complaining about a book in a school library would trigger a local review that could lead to it being removed. The objections can come from parents, teachers and residents of the county where the school is located.

House Bill 636 also would allow the public to sue schools for having school library books that they feel are harmful to minors. People can seek damages of up to $5,000 per violation of the bill.

The Senate has not yet acted on the bill.

Wake school board chair Chris Heagarty complained it is “not the American way” to allow a handful of non-parents to get a book removed over the wishes of the majority at a school.

“Any proposal where a handful of people can come in for whatever reason and remove resources from thousands of students, that’s problematic,” Heagarty said at Tuesday’s school board meeting. “That’s a slippery slope and I would hope that we would not go there.”

But Joseph Deaton, a Wake County resident, told the board that there wouldn’t be a need for the legislation if Wake didn’t place “pornographic books” in schools.

“Whether or not HB636 becomes law, the board should do the decent thing and remove pornographic books,” Deaton said. “You shouldn’t accept any grants from that American Library Association foundation either.”

Grant is about ‘protecting our students’ rights’

According to Wake, Rolesville High School had expressed interest in applying for the Freedom to Read grant. But Wake says other district schools could apply as well.

“Please vote no on the Freedom to Read grant,” said Janet Peterson of the Pavement Education Project, which tracks what it says are obscene books found in North Carolina schools. “Find funding for literature elsewhere. It’s got to be out there.”

But Bilodeau, the parent, said schools can use the grant to fund things like hosting student-led events, community discussions and family reading nights. She urged the district to actively seek out similar grants that she said will promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

“This grant isn’t about politics,” Bilodeau said. “It’s about protecting our students’ rights to think, question and grow. It gives us the opportunity to highlight stories that challenge us, that reflect our students’ lives and help them feel seen and understood in a world that doesn’t always make space for who they are.”

-----------

©2025 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.