OPINION:
The school library, once a place of learning and exploration, has become a battleground for inappropriate content that threatens the mental health and well-being of our children.
This disconcerting trend is not limited to any particular political or geographic region but rather affects communities across the United States. From California to Florida no state is safe from libraries full of pornography. The issue of pornographic materials finding their way into K-12 public schools is complex and multilayered. Unfortunately, under obscenity exemption laws in more than 40 states, explicit materials are deemed “educational” and are allowed in school libraries. This is a disturbing reality that puts our children at risk.
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It is important to note that distributing such materials off school grounds would be considered a criminal act, yet exposing children to them during school hours is somehow justified as “educational.” This glaring double standard raises serious concerns about the protection of our children within the confines of the educational system.
The First Amendment’s “freedom of speech” has been exploited to justify the distribution of explicit materials in our schools. While the First Amendment aims to protect various forms of self-expression, obscenity remains outside its realm of protection. Federal obscenity laws criminalize violations, emphasizing the government’s right to limit such activities. However, loopholes in the form of obscenity exemption laws in schools have created a disconcerting situation where teachers and librarians are providing sexually explicit materials without facing the consequences.
The American Library Association (ALA), once a trusted resource, has shifted its stance and is no longer aligned with the values of parents. Its outsized influence on policy and practices in public schools has left parents questioning the safety of their children’s education. The ALA’s agenda, driven by a desire to conduct a social experiment on the next generation, uses events like Banned Books Week to actively promote sexually inappropriate materials.
Progressive organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the ALA, GLSEN, and the Human Rights Campaign, along with teachers’ unions, also exploit obscenity exemption laws to advocate for sexually explicit materials in schools and local libraries. They actively push for these materials and bully any parent who would speak out against this sexualization of our children. Their strategic efforts include encouraging the adoption of policies that make it challenging to remove such content. This deliberate approach aims to marginalize concerned citizens and stifle opposition through misinformation and intimidation.
However, there is hope for change. We must take a proactive stance against the sexualization of our children. The Take Back the Classroom movement urges parents and grandparents to unite and reclaim the sanctity of school libraries. Armed with knowledge and a proactive stance, this movement empowers individuals to petition school boards, urging them to remove inappropriate materials. It’s a call to action against the sexualization of our children and a reminder that community voices can and should still influence decisions at the local level. Those who seek to sexually exploit our children are always on the wrong side of history. It is time to take back the classroom.
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Karen England, President Capitol Resource Institute, serves as the Executive Director of the California-based Capitol Resource Institute, and she is also the founder and Director of Nevada Family Alliance in Nevada and Capitol Resource Institute of Tennessee. These non-profit organizations were created to advocate for traditional family values and to advance religious freedom wherever it is threatened. Karen has a long and successful history of mobilizing citizens throughout the public sphere – rallies, school board meetings, state legislatures, and through training workshops and seminars. Today, she is leading the fight against the radical leftist agenda that seeks to indoctrinate our children and dismantle any semblance of Judeo-Christian culture that remains. Karen’s passion for truth and her effectiveness in conveying this message has led to appearances on several national media outlets and publications including Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle, World Net Daily, the Flash Report and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Capitol Resource Institute is a non-profit policy, research, and education organization. The organization advocates for parental rights, religious freedom, life, and the family. CRI represents a network of thousands of individuals, families, and faith leaders. Now, in 2023, the organization looks forward to expanding its grassroots efforts and outreach to parents, other concerned citizens, and legislators in various states. Threats to parental rights and religious freedom are bearing down on families across the country. Each day, Capitol Resource Institute strives to equip our fellow citizens with tools to successfully reclaim those rights.
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