Hello, my name is John Peters.
Currently my wife and I have two kids in BPS, one at Olson Middle and one at Olson Elementary.
Since we first brought the issue of sexually explicit material to the board’s attention in August, we have followed district procedure – policy 606.1, at the superintendent’s direction. Forms have been submitted regarding the materials in question, and meetings have taken place at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels. As per that policy, the materials in question should be pulled from the school libraries while they are under review. We expect that the review process is conducted in a timely manner, and that representatives from the schools and school district communicate consistently and clearly as to how the process is being conducted. If that is not happening, the superintendent and the school board must intervene to insure the review process is being followed correctly, as per policy 606.1.
To reiterate previous points, we are not seeking to “ban books.” An adult can still access these materials at a book store, amazon.com, or the adult section at a public library. This is about making sure that books available in the school libraries and classrooms are age appropriate and do not contain sexually explicit material.
Most of the students in BPS are minors. There are legal limitations on what sort of media that minors can access – R rated movies, playboy magazine, or an adult bookstore, for example. If you can’t read a book on the radio or show the pictures on television because it is too sexually explicit, then it does not belong in the school library or classroom.
The job of our schools is to educate our children in the areas of reading, writing, math, science, civics, and so forth. It is not to expose them to sexually explicit material, endorse/promote various sexual behaviors or ideologies, or to lie to them by saying that you can change your gender, which is contrary to basic biology and common sense.
We all love our kids and want what’s best for them. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We simply want what’s available in the schools, as well as what’s being taught and promoted, to be age-appropriate and focused on academic proficiency.
Thank you.
