Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced plans to “find the line” for age-appropriate books in schools, a surprise to both the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB).  

The minister referenced four graphic novels found in schools containing significant mature content, including graphic depictions of sexual activity and graphic depictions of sexual nudity, among others. 

With slight variations book-by-book, the list says the books were in schools with students within the K-9 range in EPSB and CBE, as well as high schools.  

The minister did not reference whether the graphic novels were placed in areas specific to mature readers. 

“I would show these images to all of you here and to the media, but they are too graphic for a live-streamed media event,” Nicolaides said. 

“Some of the authors of these particular titles that we’ve identified have even suggested themselves that these are not appropriate for children.” 

Currently, both the EPSB and CBE have pulled these books from circulation temporarily to review their content, a move that was not enforced by the education ministry. 

The announcement came after “a group of parents” approached the minister with concerns over the novels, leading to an investigation, according to Nicolaides. 

Throughout the investigation, government staff went into schools on a “couple of instances” to see if books were on library shelves.  

“Many of our school divisions have publicly accessible digital catalogs of all the books that they have available in their school libraries and whether they’re on the shelf and/or checked out. So, we were also able to look through that information,” Nicolaides said. 

Despite the investigation, Monday’s announcement was a surprise for both the CBE and EPSB. 

“To date, the Ministry of Education has not raised any concerns with either the Calgary Board of Education or Edmonton Public Schools regarding library resources,” a joint CBE-EPSB statement said. 

Both school divisions follow established, rigorous processes to ensure library resources are age-appropriate and relevant for students, the statement read, with both having “clear mechanisms” in place for any member of the school community to bring forward concerns about specific resources. 

Currently, Alberta does not have a province-wide set of guidelines for school boards to follow when selecting library materials. Nicolaides said this has caused boards to use “different approaches” when choosing their books.  

“This is not a question of banning specific books or specific titles but rather establishing clear policies and guidelines for all school divisions to follow,” the minister said. 

Minister looking for parent input

The minister said that working with parents and school boards, the ministry plans on having new guidelines in place for the 2025/26 school year. 

As a parent himself, Nicolaides said that these books do not belong in an elementary school, but ensured his opinion will not factor into coming guidelines. 

“If there was a book on astrophysics that had graphic sexual content, I would have the exact same concerns,” he said. 

In May, a provincial survey found that 51 per cent of respondents believe that materials containing explicit sexual depictions or descriptions of sexual acts should not be permitted in any library accessible to children, according to the minister. Ninety-four per cent of respondents said that these materials should not be available in elementary schools, and 85 per cent of parents said it is important that parents have a say in what materials are present in their school library. 

“We want to ensure transparency for parents, so that they know what is available in their school library and to have a process for complaints and concerns about book materials and other library materials,” he said. 

Nicolaides is currently looking for Alberta parents to complete a survey, available until June 6. 

The survey includes questions such as, “Who do you think should decide what materials are age-appropriate in school libraries?”  and, “At what age should children be able to access materials with sexually explicit content in school libraries?” 

In a statement, the Calgary Catholic School District supported the minister’s notion to engage with parents.  

“The Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) supports the province engaging shareholders for feedback regarding age-appropriate school library materials,” the statement said. 

According to Jeff Park, Executive Director of the Alberta Parents’ Union, the issue goes far beyond school libraries.  

“It’s about parental confidence in the education system and ensuring that families have meaningful input when it comes to what their children are exposed to. This is not a manufactured issue – it’s a real concern for tens of thousands of Alberta families,” Park said in a written statement to media.  

Park said that above library books, the real issue is the need for more school choice.  

“When all families are forced into the same one-size-fits-all system, every decision, like which books are in school libraries, becomes a political fight. Giving parents more options would reduce conflict and let families choose what works best for their own children,” he said.  

Censoring concerns for 2SLGBTQIA+ voices

In a statement from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, who represents education workers including librarians, union president Mandy Lamoureaux, said that the minister is using this announcement to divert attention from other issues 

“The education minister is nearly silent about the fact schools are laying off staff as Jordan’s Principle funding dries up. The Minister also avoids discussing overcrowding in classrooms, funding levels that don’t match inflation, support for special needs kids, and staff wages that don’t keep up with the cost of living,” Lamoureaux said. 

 “Instead, Minister Nicolaides bans books with gay and queer themes.” 

Similarly, Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), said in a statement that it seems there is “no coincidence” that the government’s announcement specifically “singled out 2SLGBTQIA+ materials.” 

“We’ve seen a selection of books pointed out by the government as inappropriate material, and the focus of the government at this time seems to be, once again, on the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. All students in Alberta’s public schools deserve to see themselves represented in the material that they read,” he said in a press conference.