MILLARD, NE — A mother wants a popular Spider-Man graphic novel removed from her 6-year-old son’s school library because it contains material she thinks is age-inappropriate.“It has a lot of sexual undertones in here, as far as sexuality goes,” Physha Svendsen told Omaha, NE’s KETV Channel 7 News. “They can learn this through any other place, but it’s not something I allow them to learn, in my house at least.”
Svendsen, a mother of four, said she keeps a close eye on what her children read, and she thinks the offending comic book has little literary value despite being one of the most in-demand items in the Millard, NE, school district’s libraries.
Head Librarian Donna Helvering disagrees. She said each item that is placed on school library bookshelves goes through a rigorous vetting process in advance.
“We look at books, as far as age-appropriateness, we look at books for readability and we make sure that we’re buying books that are appropriate for all our kids,” she told the television station.
However, she’s always eager to hear both positive and negative comments from parents about the materials their children read, she added.
“We know that we’re not always perfect, and we always ask parents for their partnership and their contributions to what we purchase in our libraries,” Helvering told KETV’s news team.
Parents are invited to file complaints, Helvering said. The library board’s charter requires a committee to evaluate parental issues within 30 days.
Svendsen’s complaint is under review. Until the library committee makes a recommendation, she said she won’t return the graphic novel in order to keep it out of the hands of other children.
