Don’t ban books
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I would like to address the concerns of helicopter parents and Senate President Jake Chapman and his fellow Republican lawmakers on their determination to control books in school classrooms and libraries by allowing parents to sue districts over books they believe are obscene.
The books they would ban are mostly written by Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ authors.
Senate File 2198 would allow parents to start legal proceedings against schools or educators who distribute books or materials the parents deem obscene advanced at the Iowa Capitol. Hearings on the bill found, most Republicans supported it and all Democrats opposed it.
I have news for the supporters of this bill and similar efforts to ban books they deem “obscene,” kids are not beating down the doors of classrooms and libraries checking out these books. Getting kids to read books is the real challenge, not the content of the book. For parents and legislators who worry about certain literature used by teachers as “grooming materials,” I suggest you look a little closer to home.
I am referring to letting young people even children under the age of ten, access to “Smart phones.” Social media opens up a whole world where a tech savvy child can encounter obscenity and find plenty of predators willing to “groom them.” Kids are a lot better at using electronic devices and social media than their parents. Your child or your child’s friends will be able to bypass any “parental control.”
The only long-term effect of Senate File 2198 and House File 5, which among other things require districts to give parents access to an electronic catalog of books in their libraries and provide a form online that parents can use to request a book’s removal, is that more and more teachers will be exiting the profession.
As the 2022 school year ended, many teachers, including Iowa teachers left teaching. In 2022, an NEA survey indicated that 55% of teachers nationwide are considering leaving the profession, citing lack of respect, increased school violence and attacks from conservative parents and politicians as their reasons.
Senate File 2198 would allow teachers and librarians to face misdemeanor charges for allowing material deemed obscene in the classrooms. Educators could face up to a year in prison and a $2,000 fine. Senate File 2198 made it out of committee and is headed to the full Iowa Senate.
No wonder teachers are afraid to teach and are packing it in.
Mary Kathryn Gepner
Benton, Iowa