Suspended novels return to school shelves in Virginia county

ACCOMAC, Va. (AP) -- Two classic American novels, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "To Kill a Mockingbird," will immediately return to public school library shelves in a Virginia county.

News outlets report the Accomack County school board voted Tuesday to return the books to classrooms and libraries. The books were suspended Nov. 29 according to school policy following a formal complaint by a parent against the use of racial slurs in the books.

School board chairman Ronnie Holdman says the board agrees that some of the language used in the books is "offensive and hurtful." However, he says teachers and staff "have a wonderful talent for conveying the bigger meanings and messages in literature."

The board says it will form a new committee to re-examine the existing policy regarding content complaints.


Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.