Missouri district rescinds decision to ban Toni Morrison book

A suburban St. Louis school district has reversed its earlier decision to remove a book from its school libraries in the face of criticism and a class-action lawsuit.

The Wentzville School Board on Friday accepted a review committee’s recommendation to retain Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” which it had previously banned because of its explicit descriptions of sex, violence, rape and incest, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Daniel Brice, the board’s vice president, said the district should “tighten its policies” regarding some books, but he noted that parents already had the right to request that certain titles not be available to their children.