Banned book back on school library shelves

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FARMINGTON, Utah, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A book about a family with lesbian moms is back on Utah's Davis School District library shelves but officials say parents can still control what children read.

The district removed copies of "In Our Mothers' House," a children's book by Patricia Polacco, eight months ago after objections by some parents. The book was then moved to a section of the libraries available to older elementary students, and a district committee later voted to put it behind library counters and require parental permission for students to read it, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday.

The district returned the book to its regular library shelves Monday in response to a lawsuit filed in November by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Utah on behalf of Tina Weber, a Kaysville parent, school district spokesman Chris Williams said.

Students may check out the book on their own unless their parents specifically direct the library to deny their children access to the book.

The decision came after months of feedback from local parents and national organizations, some saying the book promoted homosexuality and was inappropriate for young children, the newspaper said.

"We haven't taken away the parents' right to be in the driver's seat regarding any book they want their child to read or not read. We looked at our policy and asked the question, 'Is there a less restrictive way we could honor parents' rights? We decided yes, there is," Williams said.

"I'm glad the school understands they made a mistake when they took the book off the shelves," Weber said on an ACLU website. "A small group of people shouldn't be able to impose their personal values on everyone else by taking away access to books they might disagree with. It's not their job to decide what my kids can read. That's my job, as a parent."