GOP Bill Would Restrict Books, Prosecute School Staff
Goal is to 'help school districts do their jobs to prevent obscene material.'
Books. (Creative Commons Zero – CC0)
Republican lawmakers are proposing to remove certain books from schools and prosecute school staff who allow students to access materials deemed inappropriate. A co-sponsorship memo entitled “Protect Childhood Innocence” authored by Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-DePere) began circulating Tuesday. One proposed bill removes protections of schools and their staff against prosecution for “obscene materials violation.” The other bill prohibits a school district from using school library aid funds to purchase “any item that would be considered obscene material.”
The Wisconsin Examiner first reported last May on emails sent by former Rep. Jesse James (R-Altoona) showing that James had been provided a list of potentially “inappropriate” books by parents in his district. The books on the list dealt with LGBTQ topics and characters, issues of gender identity and sexuality and the burden of overcoming racial stereotypes and inequality.
Now, the effort is making its expected debut in the Legislature. “Imagine your middle school student shows you a book that they are reading from school in which characters describe how to perform oral sex,” the memo circulated by Jacque and Allen reads. “Most parents would be shocked that a student could find a book with this type of sexually explicit material in their school library. Since the pandemic, parents have paid more attention to what material their students are encountering and demanding that their students not encounter sexually explicit material in school.” The memo references Wisconsin statutory language which “makes clear that obscene material is sexual conduct described in an offensive way with no educational value.”
The memo states that the bill related to funding would “help school districts do their jobs to prevent obscene material from showing up in schools and school libraries.” It adds, “some might worry that the removal of exemption will unleash waves of lawsuits against schools but this is untrue due to provisions in current law.” The memo states that two layers of review, a district attorney and the attorney general, help ensure that “only clear violations of the law result in litigation.”
It concludes by further downplaying concerns which may arise from the proposal. “With these protections there should be no reason for a school employee to fall afoul of distributing obscene material, but if they do distribute obscene material, then parents should expect there to be accountability. Surely our school employees who are influencing the future generation of Wisconsin should not be immune to accountability.”
Republicans propose to restrict books, prosecute school staff was originally published by the Wisconsin Examiner.
again, how stupid are these people. books do no harm. education is valuable. differing opinions are enlightening. republicans are bigoted narrow minded _____fill in any expletive you want.
sad, very sad
What’s truly obscene here is the lockstep flunkyism that state GOP bots are following. The “thought police” are here and they’re coming for our kids (and our educators). Better wake up Badger voters!
This is the first step in conservative censorship of what books will be in the schools and what is taught. The definition of “obscene” will deliberately remain vague as a way to intimidate school boards, librarians, and teachers to withdraw more books or curriculum materials that might be in the slightest way considered controversial. This this initiative is left unchecked, most any book or curriculums topic could be banned by some politician stating it was “anti Christian” or against their version of “freedom”. The Texas, some school districts are banning the book, “Larry the Farting Leprechuan”. It would not take long for Wisconsin to have a State mandated curriculum that is in line with most of the fringe Republican ideas that are being promoted by many State politicians.
“a list of potentially “inappropriate” books by parents in his district.”
That statement is undoubtedly a coverup meant to hide the real identity of the group, organization or right wing money source that is really behind these nationwide book banning crusades.
Exposing them to the light would help de-fang them.
(How much money was contributed to Scott Allen, Andre Jacque, and Jesse James for carrying water for the promoters of these efforts?)
This is nothing less than an attack on free speech. Voss and company have made it a habit of attacking all our Constitutional rights. This is fascism.
They’re “Protecting Childhood Ignorance”, not innocence.