School shelves orders for new Harry Potter books

Carrollwood Elementary will not stock the two latest volumes of the wildly popular series because of witchcraft themes.

By KATHERINE GAZELLA

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 28, 2000

CARROLLWOOD -- Administrators at Carrollwood Elementary will not order any new Harry Potter books for the school library, fearing that parents might object to the wizardry and witchcraft themes in the popular series.

[Times photo: Fred Victorin] J.K. Rowling's books star an 11-year-old apprentice wizard. The Sorcerer's Stone remains on the library shelves at Carrollwood Elementary.

Principal Joan Bookman said children still will be allowed to bring Harry Potter books to school and the school will keep the first Harry Potter book in the library. But the media center will not stock the two latest volumes of the series.

"It was because of the witchcraft themes," Bookman said. "We just knew that we probably had some parents who wouldn't want their children to read these books."

The decision sparked concern among observers who oppose limiting children's access to books.

"I think it's absurd," said Judith Krug, director of the office for intellectual freedom at the American Library Association. "I find it amazing that a school -- whose job is to educate children -- is not putting materials in the library that every kid wants to read."

"Their whole purpose is to not let children read them," said Jenifer Schneider, a professor of children's literature at the University of South Florida. She said the decision is a form of banning books.

Both women pointed out that the books have ignited a reading frenzy among children, and that adults should encourage kids to read the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling's books, which hold three of the top four spots on the New York Times bestseller list, star an 11-year-old apprentice wizard. Potter studies at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where his adventures include battling a three-headed dog, learning to fly a broom and using a cloak that makes him invisible.

The books have sparked controversy in some school districts around the country, where some parents thought the witchcraft collided with their Christian beliefs. Parents or school officials in at least a dozen school systems have objected to the presence of the books in schools, prompting some school systems not to allow teachers to discuss the books in class.

Those who follow the issue say the books have yet to be banned outright in any school system, but some districts have removed the books from libraries or suffered challenges from parents. A school district in Michigan pulled the books from the library, and a mother in New York threatened a lawsuit if the books weren't banned from her son's school district.

In all those other cases, someone complained. At Carrollwood Elementary no parents have complained about the books. Bookman said one parent brought the other controversies to her attention, but the parent herself didn't have a problem with the books.

Bookman said the first book from the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, remains on the library shelf.

The school media specialist is reading the book and said she hasn't found anything objectionable.

"So far, I think it's pure fantasy," said Carole Martinez.

She said she might object to the content if it moved from lighthearted wizardry to "witchcraft and evil types of deeds."

Martinez has not read either of the other two books. Bookman has not read any but said she has flipped through them. Bookman said she wouldn't rule out ordering the books in the future, but she has no immediate plans to reconsider the decision.

The Hillsborough County school district follows a lengthy process if someone wants a book removed from a school. A media committee reviews the book, said Barbara Rooks, elementary media supervisor for Hillsborough schools.

She said each person on the committee reads the book and decides whether it should stay at that school. Such challenges are rare, she said.

In this case, Carrollwood Elementary doesn't have to follow such a process, she said.

"Every school can decide what (books) to order," Rooks said.

Even though the school isn't removing any books from its shelves, observers are concerned about the decision.

"Libraries provide choice. No child has to read every book in that library," Krug said. "Why deprive all the other hundreds of children?"

Schneider echoed that sentiment. She doesn't have a problem with parents deciding not to let their children read certain books.

"But when you take it out of public schools, my child can't read it," she said.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.