A bill advancing through the Legislature aimed at removing sexually explicit books from schools could take the Bible off of library shelves and would be a nightmare to navigate, critics said.
Senate Bill 1250 creates a process where a parent or guardian could seek to remove books deemed offensive from the library shelves of public and charter schools, but not private schools. It would financially penalize schools who fail to comply.
The measure would prohibit school libraries from making available to youth “any materials containing or depicting obscene material, sexually explicit content (or) nudity,” according to the measure.
Parents or guardians would be allowed to report suspected violations to the school’s governing body, which must conduct an investigation.
The reporting party could appeal to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
If the agency finds a violation, the school will receive a 5% reduction in state funding, according to the measure.
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said when she was in school, a friend was being sexually abused by an uncle. It was not until her friend read “The Color Purple” that her friend realized it was wrong. The Pulitzer Prize winning book is about a girl who is beaten and impregnated by her father.
“Our kids are exposed to things constantly inside and outside of school,” Kirt said. “Are we going to make them be sealed in a hermetic bubble until they are 18?”
The measure will create a “red tape nightmare” where parents with an ax to grind can run a district through constant complaints, she said.
Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, the author, said although there is already a process in place to keep sexually-explicit content off school library shelves, the existing procedures are not adequate.
He said there are hundreds of examples of those books remaining on library shelves, but did not state any specific examples. He said the Bible is not one of the books to which he was referring.
“It’s important that we do something about this, and I think the magnitude of this problem is encapsulated by a quote by Leonardo da Vinci, who said, ‘It’s easier to resist at the beginning than it is at the end.’”
Hamilton said regrets that it has become a partisan issue.
Critics of the measure warned that the Bible contains sexual content, which some might find objectionable.
Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, said that within a month of the bill’s passage, districts will be dealing with complaints about the Bible.
“You can say my intent is not that, but it doesn’t matter the intent,” Mann said. “It’s how the bill is written. It’ll be used. It’ll be a battle for the next year.”
Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, in a debate for the measure, read passages from a library book in which the author described graphic sex acts.
He was interrupted by the presiding officer who said such graphic descriptions were not allowed.
Deevers said the passages like that “tempt young minds toward sexual immorality which the Bible commands us to flee.”
“They plant seeds of lust and shame and confusion and objectification of women and men and premature sexualization that can scar our souls for years,” Deevers said. “Children are not equipped to filter this kind of material.”
Sen. Kendal Sacchieri, R-Blanchard, said parents who want their children to read the books in question can buy them for their children. She said the measure would protect schools, parents, teachers and librarians.
The measure passed by a vote of 39-8 and heads to the House for consideration.
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