NEWTON, N.C. — On Monday, the Catawba County Board of Education held a special meeting and public hearing on a challenged book.
The book that was challenged, "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult, is a fictional book about a high school shooting and its aftermath. The book addresses issues such as bullying and abortion.
Several members of the public gave comments at the meeting, both in support of removing the book and also in support of keeping the book in high school libraries.
After over two hours of public debate and deliberations Monday night, the board voted to keep the book on school shelves, ultimately leaving it up to parents to decide if their children should be able to check out the book.
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