Several Alberta school divisions have removed a number of books from their shelves following a new provincial order on school literary materials. However, the specific titles of the removed books have not been disclosed.
The Calgary Board of Education, the largest school division in the province, identified 44 titles to be taken off shelves out of the approximately 700,000 titles available in its libraries. Similarly, Edmonton Public Schools compiled a list of 34 books to be removed from schools, out of their 480,000 titles.
Both school divisions declined to reveal the list of removed materials, citing them as internal documents. Rocky View Public Schools, on the other hand, removed 35 titles to comply with the ministerial order, noting that the removed books were only found in high schools.
In response to the order, the Edmonton Catholic School Division removed six titles, while Elk Island Catholic Schools found no materials requiring removal. Other divisions like the Calgary Catholic School District and Red Deer Public Schools reported no materials warranting removal.
The government’s heightened scrutiny on school literary materials began last May when Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides warned of new rules. Following concerns raised by a conservative group about explicit content in school libraries, a ministerial order was issued in July, which was later revised to target materials with graphic depictions of sexual acts.
All school boards, charter schools, and independent schools in Alberta have submitted lists of materials for removal, with the government emphasizing the importance of age-appropriate content in schools. The ongoing process has sparked debate among parents and educational professionals about the balance between censorship and ensuring appropriate material for students.