A minutes record from a board meeting in the Tennessee school revealed that the school board voted to ban a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel based on the Holocaust, siting the reasons to ban to “inappropriate language” and an illustration of a nude woman.
According to news reports, the McMinn County School Board opted on January 10 to remove “Maus” from the curriculum.
In 1992, Art Spiegelman earned the Pulitzer Prize for his work, which depicts him asking his father about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor and tells the narrative of his Jewish parents living in 1940s Poland.
In an interview with CNBC, Spiegelman described the school board’s decision as “baffling” and “Orwellian.”
He stated, “It’s leaving me with my jaw open, like, ‘What?'”
The decision comes as conservative officials around the country have stepped up their efforts to limit the types of books that children are exposed to, particularly those that address systemic racism and LGBTQ concerns. South Carolina and Texas’ Republican governors have asked superintendents to conduct a systemic assessment of “inappropriate” materials in their states’ schools.
The minutes from the school board meeting show that some of the language in “Maus” was met with opposition. Director of Schools Lee Parkison first advised redacting it “to get rid of the eight swear words and the objected-to photo of the woman.”
The naked lady is depicted as a mouse. The Jews are depicted as mice, while the Nazis are depicted as cats in the graphic novel.
“Why does the educational system support this kind of stuff when it portrays people hanging and killing children?” The book, which was part of the district’s eighth-grade English language arts curriculum, was not wise or healthy, according to School Board Member Tony Allman.
Julie Goodin, a former history teacher and instructional supervisor, thought the graphic novel was a wonderful approach to illustrate a tragic event.
“It’s difficult for this generation because these kids haven’t even heard of 9/11, they haven’t even been born,” Goodin remarked. “Are the words offensive?” There isn’t a single person who believes they aren’t. However, removing the first portion has no effect on the meaning of what he is attempting to convey.”
On Twitter, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who is not involved in McMinn County, commented on the timeliness of the news. International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed on Thursday, Weingarten, who is Jewish, reminded the world.
“Yes, talking about genocide is uncomfortable, but it is our history, and learning about it helps us avoid repeating this catastrophe,” Weingarten added.
“Maus has played a significant role in educating about the Holocaust through sharing vivid and intimate memories of victims and survivors,” the US Holocaust Museum tweeted.
“Using works like Maus to teach about the Holocaust might inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities in the present.”
In the minutes, the Tennessee school board stated that they did not object to Holocaust education, but that some members were concerned that the material was not age-appropriate.
Despite discussing redacting parts of the book, copyright problems arose, and board members ultimately chose to seek out another book on the subject.
The book isn’t the only one to have been banned in the wake of the critical race theory debate.
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