Debate Over LGBTQ+ Books Takes Over Morris Co. High School

ROXBURY, NJ — Emotions ran high at a Roxbury Board of Education meeting where parents and community members debated banning books from the high school library.

On Tuesday night, supporters on both sides of the debate attended the board meeting, voicing their opinions over LGBTQ-themed library books. The meeting was held in the Eisenhower Middle School auditorium and the meeting ended close to midnight, officials said.

Roxana Russo Caivano, the high school librarian whose lawsuit has received widespread attention and support from groups on both sides of the debate, was among those in attendance.

Caivano, a Roxbury native who has worked in the district for 15 years, is said to have faced personal attacks after deciding to fight book bans last fall.

Caivano filed the lawsuit in March, alleging that the residents referred to her as a "child predator" and accused her of "luring children with pornography."

The suit, filed in Morristown's state Superior Court, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, a jury trial, and legal expenses.

The conspiracy to defame her character allegedly began in September 2022, when one of the defendants named in the complaint, Thomas Seritis, posted on an online parent forum that Caivano had child pornography in the Roxbury High School library.

During the meeting on Tuesday night, Caivano defended her decision.

"That is what a school library is for, free access. The books are there so students can find complete information, not just one side of the story. No one is sneaking around the library looking for books with pictures in them for fun; they have phones for that," Caivano said.

During the open discussion, some speakers read passages from Scripture while others offered prayers, occasionally holding up the Bible over their heads, according to a report from the Daily Record.

Opponents of the books claim that items in the school library, such as "Gender Queer," a coming-of-age graphic novel by a nonbinary author, contain inappropriate material for minors.

One speaker, Joshua Aikens argued that the decision to keep the book in the library went against the New Jersey statute 2C:34-3b, Obscenity for Persons Under 18.

"You should probably take a close look and read through that. The content, if that was taken out of the library and you gave that to a child on the street, you would be arrested. No one here is talking about banning books about the LGBTQ+ community. What we are trying to do is protect children of all sexual orientations from obscenity," Aikens said.

According to the New Jersey statute, obscene material is any description, narrative account, display, or depiction of a specific anatomical area or sexual activity that emits sensuality with sufficient impact to focus "prurient interest on the area or activity."

The board voted 6-4 at the end of the meeting to reject a motion to "temporarily" remove several of the books in question from the shelves, as reported by the Daily Record.

Book bans have been discussed throughout the state and across the country, with some parents and community members urging school boards to remove specific titles from libraries.

This week, two New Jersey senators introduced this bill (S 3907) to protect against book bans in New Jersey libraries and schools.

According to the legislators, the bill would require public libraries and schools to adopt the American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights" or a similar policy. Under the proposed bill, state treasury officials could withhold funding from public schools or libraries that do not comply.