Prince William Schools Address Book Controversy with New Parental Control System After Parent Challenges Popular Novel

In the recent Prince William County School Board meeting on September 4, 2024, a concerned parent, Chris Funderberg, challenged the book A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Funderberg argued that the book contained sexually explicit content inappropriate for 13-year-old children, citing a specific passage during the meeting to emphasize his concerns.

While acknowledging that the book is popular and contains a compelling story, Funderberg insisted that its adult content did not add value to the narrative and should not be accessible to young readers in middle school libraries. The Prince William County School Board reviewed the challenge, with both school-based and district-level committees voting to retain the book, limiting it to high school libraries. The superintendent upheld this decision, ensuring the book would remain available only to older students.

As the county continues to face challenges related to the availability of certain books deemed inappropriate by some parents, new initiatives are being rolled out to give parents greater oversight.

Parental Control Mechanisms

One of the key topics discussed at the meeting was introducing a new parental control system that allows parents to directly monitor and restrict the books their children check out from school libraries. This new feature, developed with the help of the school system’s library software vendor, enables parents to create accounts linked to their child’s library profile. Through this account, parents can block specific books, authors, or genres they feel are inappropriate for their child.

Parents can also set restrictions that align with their values, preventing their children from checking out materials that don’t meet their standards. However, the system is opt-in, meaning that parents must actively use the platform to set restrictions, giving them complete control over what materials are accessible to their children.

“This system allows parents to create a custom reading environment for their children. They can restrict access to certain content while still allowing students the freedom to explore other materials,” said Dr. Stephanie Soliven, the Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, during her presentation at the board meeting.

Requests for Additional Transparency

Despite the new system, some parents voiced concerns about the complexity of manually setting these restrictions. One parent said, “It’s great to have this tool, but going through and blocking every book individually takes time. I’d love to have an alert system that lets me know what my child is checking out.”

This request for greater transparency led to discussions about implementing a system that would notify parents via email whenever their child checks out a book, similar to the notifications sent when lunch accounts are updated, or textbooks are borrowed. Soliven responded positively, confirming that the library software vendor offers such capabilities and that the school system is exploring ways to implement it.

“The more we can make this process transparent and seamless for parents, the better it will be for everyone,” Soliven said. “We’re working on ways to enhance this tool so parents have a clearer picture of what their child is reading.”

Library Book Challenges

Library book challenges have been a contentious issue in Prince William County, with several titles facing scrutiny for containing sexually explicit content. Parents concerned about specific books can challenge their availability in school libraries. These challenges are reviewed by school-level and district-level committees that include educators, parents, and administrators.

School board members and school officials emphasized the critical role of parental involvement in shaping students’ reading habits. “We believe parents know what’s best for their children, and we want to give them the tools to make those decisions,” said a Coles District School Board member Lisa Zargapur.