FOX News Digital spoke with Kit Hart, chapter president of Moms for Liberty, about the battle her chapter is waging in her county over “sexually explicit” books in public libraries.
Hart won a minor victory in Carroll County, Maryland, after a local reconsideration committee made up of teachers, parents and even students voted to remove two books from school libraries.
As of Wednesday, the committee decided to remove two books and keep seven other books on the shelves of the school library.
The decision-making body still has 49 books to review, Hart said.
The two books that were chosen to be removed from schools were “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “Water for Elephants.”
The reconsideration committee found the first book “not appropriate for the recommended age and grade levels,” Hart said.
“It’s basically for a mature audience and a lot of the book is based on sexual content.”
The second book also had so much “graphic and explicit material” that it was “inappropriate for children,” he explained, adding that “we really need to start understanding the distinction between what a child may be exposed to and what an adult may consider ”. appropriate or entertaining.”
It is a difference, he added, that “must be very different and respected.”
Hart said that, as a general rule, the books he recommends removing from school libraries “contain very, very graphic and explicit sex,” making them clearly “not appropriate for schools” or for children’s eyes.
Moms for Liberty chapter president Kit Hart spoke about the battle her chapter is waging in her county over “sexually explicit” books in public libraries.
But Hart said the battle to keep children in his district safe from “sexually explicit” materials was not over.
The next stage in his battle with his county was to appeal the committee’s decision to the local superintendent.
When asked roughly what percentage of parents were for or against removing sexually explicit books from schools, Hart said the group that supported “taking a look at these books and considering removing them” was probably the majority.
The opposing camp has largely adopted the attitude that removing sexually explicit or controversial books from schools is a form of censorship.
“There is a faction of the population made up of parents and some librarians who I think have taken the narrative of book banning and censorship and really fought against that idea instead of looking at the individual content of the books,” he said, which which forced them to ask them to “defend the concept of book bans” as a political tool.
As of Wednesday, the committee decided to remove two books and keep seven other books on the shelves of the school library. Bloomsbury Publishing
This is also because, Hart added, defenders of these supposedly graphic books have trouble defending “the content of the books.”
He also weighed in on the popularity of the term “book bans.”
“People throw out terms like book bans and censorship” because, Hart said, “Americans don’t like those concepts.”
“Of course, we believe strongly in the First Amendment,” Hart said.
“We will fight for that.”
The two books that were chosen to be removed from schools were “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “Water for Elephants.” Algonquin Books
But the issue of keeping sexually explicit books in schools was entirely different, he said, calling the phenomenon a “manufactured crisis.”
Hart argued that school library movers and shakers across the country, such as American Library Association (ALA) President Emily Drabinski, have “totally captured” school libraries.
Drabinski self-identifies as a “Marxist lesbian.”
“We are responding, calling out what we consider inappropriate,” Hart said.
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Hart also said parents have every right to want to protect their children and reduce their exposure to sexually graphic materials at school.
“We entrust our children, our most precious possession [to schools],” she said.
“And so when they walk into these libraries and find these books, that’s not a safe environment for them,” he added.
“And it really breaks the trust that parents have” with their “librarians and their schools.”
The mother also acknowledged some of the criticism she received in her battle with Carroll County.
“One of the criticisms we’ve gotten is that all the kids have access from their phones and computers to a lot of other, worse things,” Hart said.
“But first of all, I just challenge these parents. So are we lowering them to the lowest standard, the lowest common denominator? Are you not giving them any expectations? Are you setting the bar so low that you think they should shoot and just be able to access really disturbing material?
Hart said that at their core, she and other grassroots organizations like Moms for Liberty are fighting for the “fundamental rights of parents” to protect their children from harmful material.
“I would really encourage parents to really be present in their children’s lives and especially in their children’s schools.”
He said the children, who will be America’s future leaders, need a “really solid foundation” in life.
“We are their highest authority,” Hart said.
“We need to guide them towards what is right, beautiful and good.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn