Karen Prescott, dressed in her signature white shirt, red blazer, and Navy blue skirt approached the podium at the first school board meeting of the 2025/2026 academic year.
“Mr. Chairman, members of the Mayfield School Board, and distinguished guests, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today on behalf of all concerned parents about one of the books selected by Ms. Holloway and the curriculum committee at Mayfield Middle school.
As parents we should have the final say of what our children read. We are deeply concerned that Ms. Holloway and her committee approved The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. It is not age appropriate for middle school students. References to puberty and sexuality are too explicit. Must they be forced to read about masturbation and have questions about sexuality thrust into their heads at this tender age? Why is Ms. Holloway refusing to let our children be children?
No one is arguing that the Holocaust was shameful, but this is 2025, can’t we move past it? Must we force our children to read about such ugly things? There are many books supporting traditional values that wouldn’t offend parents or assault young minds. Let’s focus more on teaching our students to be good citizens and patriotic Americans. Thank you!”
A small, but vocal group applauded wildly. Karen made a slight bow to her audience, and smiled at the school board members. A few other parents parroted Karen’s words at the podium.
At last, Alicia Holloway stood and walked to the podium. Behind her the line of supportive teachers and parents reached the back of the auditorium. As she spoke, the line grew longer.”
“My name is Alicia Holloway. I am a tenured faculty member at Mayfield Middle School where I teach ELA, English Language Arts. I am the ELA curriculum leader charged with developing the English Language Arts curriculum for our students. I’ve been teaching for twenty years. Before I became a teacher, I attended the University of Notre Dame where I completed a double major in Education and English graduating with high honors. I have advanced degrees from the University of Pittsburgh in English, Reading, and Middle Level Education. I also have a doctorate in Education Policy. I mention my education because it is germane to the question of my qualifications to decide which books are suitable for your children to read. I would also like to add that while many middle schools around the country are seeing lower reading comprehension scores, students at Mayfield Middle School and all the schools within this district continue to excel and our reading comprehension scores are among the best in the state and the nation.
The dedicated men and women who are my colleagues concur with my decision to make The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank available in schools libraries and part of the reading curriculum for eighth grade.
We have a responsibility to introduce young people to the history of the Holocaust and Anne Frank’s life. Conflicts and wars affect more than soldiers on the battlefield. The persecution of a race, religion, or any marginalized group doesn’t have an age limit. It’s not something that only happens to adults, and unfortunately it’s not something we have managed to eradicate from society.
As for complaints about descriptions of puberty and Anne’s personal experiences, they are all relatable aspects of adolescence and part of what she experienced while in hiding.
Mrs. Prescott has listed words and passages from the text which she finds offensive:
Vagina, references to menstruation, questions about sexuality, the Holocaust, conflicts between a mother and a daughter which she finds disrespectful to parental authority, the retelling of an off color joke about German girls, and the possibility that Anne was expressing bisexual thoughts.
What Mrs. Prescott has omitted are some of the most poignant passages from the book, Anne’s personal thoughts, and beliefs:
‘Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.’
‘I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that remains.’
‘I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.’
‘Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction.’
‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.’
‘No one has ever become poor by giving.’
‘He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery.’
‘I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.’
Anne Frank’s real message is hope. She wasn’t out to corrupt the minds of youths, confuse them, or frighten them. She wrote honestly about her thoughts and feelings as an adolescent and the world in which she found herself growing up in through no fault of her own. Her diary is a warning. We must never turn a blind eye to suffering, injustice, or persecution, but we must also seek joy in all things by embracing what makes us human, faults, foibles, and all.
We have policies in place. There are lists of alternative works students can read instead of the assigned book. Instead of participating in discussion time, they will go to the library where the librarian will give them learning packets to complete about their alternate book. No one is forcing her child or anyone else’s child to read something they or their parents may find objectionable. We are simply standing up for the rights of children who want to read and discuss important literary works.
Thank you.”
For a moment, the meeting was silent, then the crowd erupted in applause. Alicia nodded and took her seat.
For the next hour, parents took turns sharing their memories of reading The Diary of a Young Girl and their thoughts on censorship. Several members of the School Board objected, but they were overruled by the chairman. The vote was 5-4 in favor of retaining The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank in the middle school library and as part of the eighth grade English curriculum.
Karen approached Alicia, “You may think you’ve won, but I’ll be back with a whole list of books, we don’t want here. And next time, I’ll have Moms for Liberty, No Left Turn in Education, and Parents Defending Education with me. When we’re done you’ll be lucky to find a job teaching dogs how to roll over.”
“Good luck with that, Mrs. Prescott. In case you didn’t notice I wasn’t alone, tonight. The people standing with me live in this school district, vote in local elections, and don’t want a bunch of outsiders telling them what their kids can learn. You’ve just given them a good reason to attend every school board meeting.”
Alicia walked quietly to her car and drove home wondering which book would be next.
*This month’s short story is a little different. It’s about what’s happening in school districts all over the United States. It’s about censorship and the interests of a small minority of people weaponized by conservative groups with deep pockets.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was published after her death in a concentration camp from typhus. The 1947 version in its original Dutch was edited by her father, Otto Frank. He edited out about 30% of the diary to remove sensitive entries about Anne’s adolescent curiosity about her anatomy and sex. He also edited anything he felt might reflect poorly on the family name. In 1952, the first English version, based on the edited Dutch version, was published. In 1989, the complete unedited diary was published for the first time in English as The Diary of Anne Frank: The Critical Edition. Before her death in the concentration camp, Anne had begun the process of editing some of the material herself. In 1995, The Definitive Edition (English version) was released. It included additional previously omitted material. In 2003, The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised critical Edition was published, containing more restored material.