Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce has written to the Peel District School Board (PDSB) and demanded it stop banning books. .“Ontario is committed to ensuring that the addition of new books better reflects the rich diversity of our communities,” said Lecce in a Wednesday statement obtained by the Toronto Sun. .“It is offensive, illogical and counterintuitive to remove books from years past that educate students on Canada’s history, antisemitism or celebrated literary classics.” .Some of the books banned from PDSB libraries were the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, the Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and the Harry Potter series. .The PDSB removed these books because it wanted to revamp its library system. .It appears some books had been removed because they were old and out of date. Some were removed because of its interpretation of equity and inclusion guidelines and some were discarded for being more than 15 years old. .It had targeted books published before 2008. .The issue revolves around the misinterpretation of a directive sent to it by Lecce on reviewing policies at it. It was facing allegations of systemic discrimination and anti-black racism related to how it was run and how students were taught. .A review commissioned by the Ontario government in 2020 prompted Lecce to issue a directive which told it to examine itself top to bottom. .“The Board shall, through its Equity Office, established pursuant to Direction 10, undertake a comprehensive diversity audit of schools, which shall include naming, mascots, libraries, and classrooms,” he said. .When teaching English, history and social sciences, he said it has to use materials “that are inclusive and culturally responsive, relevant and reflective of students.” He did not tell it to start purging school libraries through an equity lens. .Some students, parents, and trustees have complained about what has happened, and the PDSB is looking into the practice. Thousands of books have since been taken off of the shelves and thrown in landfills. .The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) asked teachers to no longer have students read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie because of antisemitic references in 2022. .READ MORE: Ontario school board removes Agatha Christie book over antisemitism.“The text was first published around 1939 and is no longer relevant or engaging to students,” said a UCDSB spokesperson. .“The Upper Canada District School Board regularly reviews its curriculum offerings and course materials to ensure we are offering fresh, engaging, timely, and relatable materials to students.”
