New focus on North Woods book banning

FIELD TWP- Quinn Krebsbach was fired from his library assistant position at North Woods School in October 2025 after purchasing a collection of books that included references to racism, LGBTQ+ themes and the Holocaust.
The story of Krebsbach’s termination, originally reported by the Timberjay last year, gained renewed interest after the Star Tribune reported on Monday that more than 80 books were removed from the school’s library following Krebsbach’s decision to purchase them. North Woods was reported to be the only school in Minnesota that banned books last year.
Soon after being hired, Krebsbach, who holds a master’s degree in library and information science, ordered a collection of books to round out the library’s collection. The order was approved by the school, and the books were purchased.
Controversy began after Krebsbach posted a display inside the library featuring the top 10 banned books of the previous year. “How many have you read?” was written on the display.
Parents quickly learned about the display and began submitting complaints to the district, arguing that some of the books Krebsbach added to the library included sexually explicit content. Others complained about some of the books being on display on library counters, and some registered complaints about banned book presentations Krebsbach would give to classes.
One book targeted by parents was Gender Queer, a memoir about a nonbinary person coming to terms with their gender identity. One page of the 244-page book includes an illustration depicting oral sex between two characters who spend the preceding pages discussing their boundaries and comfort levels during a sexual encounter.
The district fired Krebsbach and removed all 80 books he purchased from the library. The Star Tribune reported that the removed books included Charlotte’s Web, Gender Queer, The Bluest Eye, A Wrinkle in Time, Night and The John Deere Farm-to-Table Kids Cookbook.
According to ISD 2142 Superintendent Brian Masterson, Krebsbach was never given a reason for his termination.
Masterson said he did not know who made the decision to remove all the books from the library.
Masterson said most of the books removed around the time of Krebsbach’s firing were returned to shelves, with the exception of books that had not previously been in the library’s collection.
Those 15 books are now subject to the district’s new materials review policy. The policy specifies that a review committee must include one member of the school district administration, one principal, two teachers, the District Media Committee, two members of the school district community with no direct connection to the request for reconsideration, and two student representatives, as appropriate to the specific request. The committee will review books after receiving a completed Formal Request for Reconsideration of Specific Library Collection Material form.
The review policy was implemented following Krebsbach’s termination. It was formally adopted in February 2026.
Masterson said removing the books from the library does not count as banning them because they are subject to the district’s review policy. His statement differs from the definition of banned books used by the American Library Association, which states on its website, “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.”
“I understand the law,” Masterson said. “I understand that them being reviewed may be considered banned.”
The legality of removing the books from the library is unclear, as Minnesota state law prohibits book banning under Minnesota Statute 134.51. Most of the books under review feature LGBTQ+ characters or address sensitive subjects, including racism, substance abuse, trauma and grief. Masterson said the review committee was expected to meet for the first time within the next few weeks.
Krebsbach is transgender. When asked whether Krebsbach’s identity played a role in his termination, Masterson said, “I can’t go into details about why Quinn was terminated. The board during the termination period voted to terminate.”
Ron Marinaro, a member of the St. Louis County School Board, said, “Our former superintendent dropped the ball on this and left us with a mess. We will be looking into it as a board.”

Books currently being withheld from library shelves at North Woods:
How the Bogeyman Became a Poet
Heartstopper
The Bluest Eye
Long Way Down
Simon Sort of Says
Pet
Deer Run Home
All Boys Aren’t Blue
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Sunrise of the Reaping
Ultraviolet
The Inheritance Games
We Were Liars
Gender Queer