Morris County school board will review book challenges in wake of librarian's lawsuit

William Westhoven, Morristown Daily Record
·2 min read
6

Roxbury's Board of Education said it has created a committee to study the district's policy of reviewing contested library material, as a lawsuit filed by a school librarian continues.

"They are going to review and come up with recommendations to refine the process in the future," board President Leo Coakley said at the board's meeting Monday night. "Please allow the committee time to do its review and make a recommendation."

The lawsuit, filed last month by high school librarian Roxana Russo Caivano, accused four township residents of harassing and defaming her with comments in public and online, after those four objected to books in district libraries that they called sexually explicit. In the suit filed last month, Caivano said the four have labeled her a "child predator" and publicly accused her of "luring children with pornography."

The Roxbury school board said it was forming a committee to review its handling of objections to books like "Gender Queer," a graphic novel whose presence in a district library has sparked a heated debate.
The Roxbury school board said it was forming a committee to review its handling of objections to books like "Gender Queer," a graphic novel whose presence in a district library has sparked a heated debate.

The librarian, a Roxbury native who has worked in the district for 15 years, has faced "disgusting" attacks that crossed the line of acceptable debate, said her husband, Anthony, an attorney representing her in the case.

Coakley addressed the matter on Monday, saying the board could not comment on civil litigation that "it is not a party to."

With regards to the books in question, Coakley said district policies and regulations regarding public objections to school materials "are being followed."

The dispute centered on the graphic novel "Gender Queer: A Memoir," which includes some depictions of sex acts, and other materials that have been approved by the state as part of its sex education and gender-identity curriculums.

For subscribers: 'Pornography' on the shelves at Roxbury High? Librarian sues residents for defamation

More: Roxbury schools hire new superintendent from Madison district as Radulic retires

Board announces new committee

On Monday, Coakley said the Roxbury district has assembled a "committee of stakeholders" including students, parents, faculty, administrators and two board members to review current complaints about library content.

Corinne Mullen, an attorney for the defendants, blasted the lawsuit, saying it would "impose a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of the parents."

Phil Rizzo, a Morris County Republican who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2021 and the District 7 congressional seat in 2022, was among those who spoke during the meeting's public comment section Monday.

"There are school boards just like this around the state that have already blocked pornographic material that is deliberately intended to target children," Rizzo said to loud applause from the gallery. "You can pass it tonight to get those wicked, perverted books out of the library."

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Roxbury NJ librarian lawsuit: School board will review book complaints