The Nampa School District school board voted 4-1 Tuesday to remove three books from a newly proposed middle school curriculum, overriding a recommendation from a 15-member curriculum committee and adding to an earlier wave of book removals in the Canyon County district. The decision affects Maus by Art Spiegelman, Patient Zero by Marilee Peters, and One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes — titles that had been part of a broader curriculum package under consideration.
Background: A District with a History of Book Removals
The vote is not the first time Nampa School District trustees have pulled books from school shelves or curriculum. The district removed 22 books roughly four years before Tuesday’s decision, establishing a pattern of board-level scrutiny over reading materials. The three books at issue this week had been included in the Gradient “EL Education” middle school curriculum package, which the 15-member curriculum committee — made up of administrators, teachers, parents, and instructional coaches — had recommended adopting in full. No formal complaints from parents or teachers had been filed prior to the board’s vote.
Despite that absence of formal objections, Superintendent Gregg Russell and district administrators recommended removing the three titles preemptively, citing possible community concerns. “This was just more of our administration just doing our role and understanding what our community is,” Russell said in a public statement.
What Objections Were Raised to Each Book
Maus, Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel depicting the Holocaust through the lens of his parents’ survival, drew concern from Russell himself. While he acknowledged the book’s educational merit in conveying Holocaust history, he flagged what he called “graphic things” as a reason for removal. One committee member separately questioned the reliability of the book and others, citing the “extreme experiences” of their authors.
Patient Zero, a nonfiction book about the history of infectious diseases, came under fire from a committee member who objected to its treatment of COVID-19 origins — specifically, that the book describes the virus as having animal origins rather than a laboratory source. Another objection focused on a chapter dealing with AIDS that references safe sex practices and condom use.
One Last Word, a poetry anthology drawing on the Harlem Renaissance, was flagged by Russell as potentially connected to critical race theory. A committee member also raised objections tied to an Alicia Keys music video featuring African Americans wearing masks bearing George Floyd’s name, though the connection to the book’s content was not made explicit in the discussion.
A Lone Dissent on the Board
Trustee Stephanie Binns cast the sole vote against removal, publicly defending all three titles. “I want to speak up in defense of the three books. The three potentially problematic books,” she said during deliberations. Her position aligned with at least one curriculum committee member who argued the district’s instructional materials should not avoid “hard conceptual points.”
The 4-1 outcome means the rest of the EL Education curriculum package may still move forward, but without the three removed titles. The decision reflects an ongoing tension in Idaho school districts between parental-rights concerns over curriculum content and educators’ professional recommendations about instructional value. For coverage of a related school board governance situation in the Treasure Valley, see the Vallivue board member resignation and superintendent pay raise story.
What Comes Next for Nampa Students and Curriculum
The curriculum committee’s broader recommendation — adopting the full EL Education middle school framework — has not been fully rejected. The board’s action specifically targets the three books, leaving open the question of how the remaining curriculum will be implemented and whether replacement titles will be identified for the affected units.
Parents, teachers, and community members interested in weighing in on curriculum decisions can attend future Nampa School District board meetings. The district has not announced a timeline for finalizing the remaining curriculum adoption. Statewide education news, including other Idaho school district curriculum and policy decisions, is available at Idaho News.