In 2022, Hoover City Schools scheduled award-winning author Derrick Barnes to visit three elementary schools.

But just before Barnes’ planned Black History Month appearances in February 2023, the invitation was abruptly canceled.

At first, the school district referenced a “recent change” and said Barnes had failed to provide information needed to offer a contract.

Later, Hoover Superintendent Dee Fowler acknowledged that Barnes had, in fact, offered some of the requested information, but not all. The cancellation came after a parent complained about Barnes’ visit and his “controversial ideas.”

The offer and reversal comes amid national efforts to restrict or ban certain books and topics in many schools. Alabama’s state board of education banned the teaching of divisive topics in 2021, which included teaching one race was superior to another, but has not banned any book titles. Last year, state officials said they did receive reports from people who believed that Black History Month programming was the same as offering critical race theory.

This year, state lawmakers want to go further and make the teaching of “divisive” topics illegal in K-12 and higher education.

“I’m not sure what happened,” Barnes’ representative Patrick Oliver said, saying discussions and arrangements for the February visits had gone “extremely smoothly.”

“The email [canceling the visit] caught me off guard.”

Oliver said this was the first cancellation Barnes has encountered where no explanation was given.

‘This guy’s kind of controversial’

Gwin Elementary School librarian Jennifer Northrup first reached out to Barnes and his team about a potential visit in April 2022.

“I know at least three schools interested in having him do three presentations in Hoover, Alabama. We have 11 elementary schools, so we might be able to book him for the whole week! We are looking for Spring 2023 dates,” she wrote in an email.

Barnes agreed and the two began to set up dates and specifics in advance of a trip.

The Kansas City-based author has won Caldecott and Newbery Awards for his children’s books, which include “Crown,” “I Am Every Good Thing,” and “King of Kindergarten.” He is the only author to have twice won the Kirkus Prize. His books typically feature Black children.

Then, recently, Fowler said one of the elementary school principals was contacted by a parent who alleged some of Barnes’ prior social media posts contained controversial ideas.

It’s not clear which post or ideas the parent objected to.

On Monday, Jan. 23, district officials reviewed correspondence with Barnes and realized a final contract with the author was not in place.

Records show Barnes’ representative Oliver was asked for a contract twice, once last April and once in August.

“This guy’s kind of controversial and so a contract would be very much needed,” Fowler said in an interview.

Oliver said he had been in regular correspondence with school officials and believed they had provided the documents Hoover needed.

School officials decided to call off the visit.

According to emails obtained through a public records request, Northrup sent Oliver an email at 5:58 p.m. on Jan. 23 canceling the visit.

“Regretfully, we have had a recent change and will not be able to host Mr. Barnes as a guest author for the three planned school visits in February,” she wrote.

Canceled

Later that evening, Barnes posted on his Instagram account that his visits were canceled “out of the blue.”

He said he believed politics were to blame.

“This has got to stop,” Barnes’ post read. “Children are being short changed, and the livelihood of children’s book authors are being affected in a major way.”

His spokesman added that February is a busy time for the author, and such a short-notice cancellation represented a missed opportunity.

“During this time of the year, Black History Month, Black authors are extremely busy,” Oliver said.

At first, two different teachers on Thursday, Jan. 26, told parents that Barnes had canceled the Hoover schools visit. A parent told AL.com an email from a school librarian also said Barnes canceled the visit. Chief Academic Officer Terry Lamar said that information was not correct because it was Hoover schools who canceled the visit, not Barnes.

Each Hoover elementary school’s parent-teacher organization had agreed to help pay for a portion of the author’s visit.

Elementary schools also had already sent notices to families and included links to purchase books for Barnes to sign. Some parents told AL.com they had already purchased Barnes’ books for their children.

Fowler said proper financial procedures related to the author’s visit were not followed.

What now?

Chief Technology Officer Brian Phillips said Gwin’s principal contacted Barnes’ representative Wednesday and offered to cover part of the costs because of the short notice on the cancellation.

Fowler told AL.com that Hoover schools paid Barnes $3,800.

The original fee agreed upon was $3,300 for each of the three schools – or $9,900 total – for Barnes to present six times at each school. The fee included travel expenses.

Barnes still is scheduled to speak at the Hoover Library on Feb. 7.

He also was scheduled to visit Alabaster’s Meadow View Elementary on Feb. 10, spokesperson Jason Gaston said, but that date is now up in the air.

The school district says it is working with Barnes to find a time to visit.

“As far as we know, he’s still on with us,” Gaston said.