Parents call police after teacher reads LGBTQ+ book to pupils
A police report was filed after Sarah Bonner read from a queer book to her students. (Credit: Getty / Twitter)
The parent of an Illinois middle school child issues a police report after a teacher read from an LGBTQ+ book during a scheduled lesson.
A police report was reportedly filed in March after teacher Sarah Bonner read a non-fiction LGBTQ+ book, This Book Is Gay, by Juno Dawson. Bonner has since resigned.
During part of her class she calls “reading Monday,” the 42-year-old middle school teacher held a brief reading session for her students to “read and celebrate books.”
She told TODAY.com: “By Wednesday I received notice that parents had gotten a hold of pictures from that book that their child had taken in class. By Friday, I was told that parents had filed a police report against me for child endangerment.
“The notion that I was putting children in danger because of books – it didn’t feel safe… I knew I couldn’t go back.”
In her resignation letter, Bonner wrote that she was “saddened” by the police report but added: “There’s a piece of me that isn’t surprised.
“It’s really interesting that people continue to use the word ‘teacher shortage’,” she said. “I don’t believe that there’s a teacher shortage. There is a lack of acknowledgement of the profession itself.
“There are plenty of people who want to work with students – who believe in education and the ability to engage young people… But what motivates you to get into this space, given the conditions that exist?”
Book bans across both schools and public libraries in the US have become a point of massive concern over the past few years.
States such as North Dakota, Florida, and Utah have seem significant book bannings over the course of 2023, with Republican governors signing legislation to remove so-called ‘woke’ books from public access.
A survey of US voters conducted by Fox News found that a staggering 87 per cent view book bans as a worrying issue facing America.
Illinois itself is to become the first state to prevent book bannings from occurring after legislation was passed on 3 May.
Democratic governor J.B Pritzker said following the law’s passing that it was a “triumph for our democracy” and a “win for First Amendment rights.”
