Virginia school board reverses course on ban of 'sexually explicit' books after move seen as unconstitutional

A school board in northern Virginia reversed course Tuesday regarding the planned removal of "sexually explicit" books from school libraries, rescinding a previous vote after dozens of parents, students and educators voiced concern about banning certain books, some arguing the move was unconstitutional.

The heated public discussion came after the board moved last week to remove all books considered "sexually explicit" but failed to develop specific qualifications on what that categorization meant. Two parents had expressed concern over the content of two books, "Call Me By Your Name" and "33 Snowfish," which their daughter had access to through the library at Riverbend High School.

But several speakers gathered in Chancellor High School’s auditorium Monday directed their outrage at two board members, Kirk Twigg and Rabih Abuismail, who had publicly declared the books be burned – which critics compared to the Nazi regime’s book burnings before the onset of the Second World War. A petition for Abuismail removal had 1,045 signatures by Monday night and many attendees had signs demanding he "resign or face recall," The Free Lance Star, a newspaper in Fredericksburg, reported.