School Board Protects Children, Removes Explicit Library Books

Carroll County Public Schools are taking new measures to protect children in their district by ensuring the books distributed to students do not contain sexually explicit content.

By a unanimous vote, the Carroll County Board of Education will usher in the policy which prohibits sexually explicit content from being in instructional and supplemental materials.

The rule defines sexually explicit content as “unambiguously describing, depicting, showing or writing about sex or sex acts in a detailed or graphic manner.” The policy also exempts materials related to “family life and human development” and goes into effect immediately, facing a review in three years or sooner.

Oral sex, how to send “sexy” selfies, masturbation as meditation, gay sex and several other explicit sexual acts – such content is what children are being exposed to in their government school libraries.

We considered omitting the above paragraph, but decided against it as we wanted to lay things out for you plainly, in hopes that it helps you understand just how uncomfortable children feel when stumbling across graphic books filled with pornographic images.

“There is no academic value in providing children access to books with explicit sexual content that goes into graphic and textual detail of sexual activity,” said school board member Stephen Whisler speaking to WBALTV. Adding that it is the job and responsibility of parents to decide what is and isn’t appropriate for their children.

“It [the policy] merely provides our educators with guidance on what is not appropriate for our students. This policy does not ban books. Instead, it provides responsible standards that our superintendent should consider,” he said.

Not all parents were as keen about the policy as Whisler is. Some voiced concerns to WBALTV over how broad the language of the policy is, as well as the possibility of having classical books removed from school libraries.

This issue far extends beyond just graphic books in school libraries, however.

The broader issue that this story ties into is that of children being taught about sex and sexuality in government schools from a worldview that stands in complete opposition to that of the believer.

As Christians, we know God created sex to be enjoyed and expressed within a marriage relationship. As it is his creation, it is, therefore, good, purposeful and of immense value.

From this, we can understand that there is a time and place for children to learn about sex and intimacy. The casual environment of a classroom filled with a child’s peers isn’t the place for children to be brought into that conversation. The place of safety where questions can be asked in the open is that of the family home.

Parents will always know what is best for their children not the government. Parents are their children’s first educators, and on this issue, parents are also the safest educators for their children.

As each child is different and walks through the various developmental stages at differing paces, it should be parents sharing information on any sexual matters with their children when he or she is ready instead of forcing all children to learn all at once.

For a child to learn about such matters from a pornographic book in their government school libraries is one sure way of cheapening the value sex holds.

This is not a discussion about what parents share with their children or the content they allow in their home. What parents choose to expose their children to is their prerogative, but what children are exposed to in a publicly funded institution? That’s where the line must be drawn.

Government institutions should be a blank slate, boring is probably a better way to describe them. In essence, they shouldn’t push ideologies or controversial topics onto our children, thus why the removal of explicit content from the reach of children isn’t just necessary but moral.

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