School board to take new look at banned books

REPUBLIC, Mo. (AP) - A southwest Missouri school board says it will reconsider a decision to remove two books from its curriculum and school library.

The Republic Board of Education decided to put the issue on its agenda for the Sept. 19 meeting. However, board members did not discuss the decision. Superintendent Vern Minor said the board couldn't discuss the book controversy because it wasn't on Monday's agenda.

The board voted in July to remove Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" and Sarah Ockler's "Twenty Boy Summer" from the library and curriculum. The decision came after a man complained about the books' content.

Rusty Swift, one of three board members who was absent from the July meeting, told The Springfield News-Leader (http://bit.ly/rfrO3k ) he wanted to bring the matter up again.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com