Alberta limits school book ban to images of sexual acts

EDMONTON, Canada (MNTV) — Alberta has scaled back its controversial school library book ban, saying it will now only target visual depictions of sexual acts while allowing written descriptions to remain.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said Monday the revised order reflects the government’s original concern. “An image can be understood and conveyed at any grade level with any degree of comprehension, whereas vocabulary and understanding progress with age,” he told reporters.

The move comes after global criticism over reports that classics such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World could be pulled from shelves under the July directive. Atwood herself mocked the government in a satirical post on social media.

Premier Danielle Smith had already accused Edmonton’s public school board of misinterpreting the policy by preparing to remove more than 200 titles. She said the intent was always to restrict graphic images, not literary works.

The original order was prompted by four graphic novels containing explicit illustrations found in school libraries, officials said. Under the new rules, school boards now have until January to comply, with divisions required to submit lists of books they plan to remove by October. Unlike before, the province will not need to pre-approve those lists.

The Calgary Board of Education welcomed the changes, while Edmonton’s board confirmed it will no longer remove classic titles.

But critics on both sides voiced frustration. Parent advocate Tanya Gaw called the revision “problematic,” arguing, “Pornography is pornography,” regardless of whether it is visual or written. Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman accused the government of wasting school boards’ time and resources with unclear rules.

Teachers also expressed concern. Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said some educators had already boxed up or discarded books out of confusion over cataloguing requirements that have now been dropped. “Those books aren’t coming back,” he said.

Nicolaides insisted the new order still ensures parents are informed of classroom materials and that important literary works remain accessible. “Classic works that provoke the mind and challenge our thinking are exactly the type of material that should be in school libraries,” he said.