I received a letter to the editor today from Nathan Seable who is the Vice Chair of the Grants Pass School District 7 school board. He’s been in the middle of a controversy over the process of removing sexually explicit books from the school libraries in the district. He’s being accused of “book banning” and “censoring” by many in the district and the community.
This story is about a high school in Josephine County. However, all Oregon public schools function under Oregon law and many (if not most) school districts can suffer from the same problem.
Read his letter and then I’ll add my perspective on this story.
Finding Common Ground
Given the recent articles about library books printed in the Courier, the community should know that I am a big supporter of intellectual freedom and the educators who run our schools and libraries. I’m proud to be from a family of educators!
I also understand the role of a school board member is to represent the community’s concerns and not shy away from difficult issues. I was elected to help craft policy guidance for local education, and I will not be deterred from that.
This should be a straightforward matter of ensuring age-appropriate educational resources. Yet, some have turned to accusations of “partisan politics” and “censorship”.
If we could resist that urge, we’d see an opportunity for open dialogue and perhaps unity.
I believe parents, educators, and community members all want what’s best for our children. Many seek assurance that students aren’t being exposed to content too mature for their age, while others worry that restricting access could lead to broader censorship.
The locally crafted policy draft contains language reflecting a shared commitment to both age appropriateness and intellectual freedom. It centers professional library staff in the process of material selection, and brings parents, a very important stakeholder to the table.
This conversation requires the ability to respect each other’s concerns without immediately assuming ill intent.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we were committed to finding common ground.
Let’s approach this thoughtfully, recognizing that our children’s well-being is a value we all share.
We Are GP!
Nathan Seable
Vice Chair and Board Member
Grants Pass School District 7 Board of Education
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A big part of reaching common ground is understanding the other person’s point of view. Nathan Seable is concerned about the age appropriateness of the books in question. You’ll get a better idea of what’s going on from this email sent to me by a concerned parent.
“I wanted to forward this letter that I just sent to the District 7 School Board concerning the vile, pornographic books currently in the GPHS school library! I apologize for the profane and disgusting examples I have attached from one of the books titled FLAMER, but you need to see and read just a sampling to know how disgusting these are.
By the way… from my own perusal while IN the library for 5 minutes a couple months ago, I also found books on Witchcraft and Abortion (Women’s Reproductive Decisions by Planned Parenthood) and other horrendous subject matter…. but these examples of porn are SO bad that exposing them first is a good start.”
You can find the book on Amazon if you want to read the one-star reviews. Here’s one:
“I actually wrote an honest review of this book describing what I found most offensive in it. The review was rejected because the descriptions were “inappropriate.” Ask yourself why Amazon cares more about its public image than our local libraries do. These books directed at teenagers with explicit sex content are low quality works. The authors and artists know they don’t have the talent or skills to sell “normal” books, so they include sexually explicit material to try to boost sales. This story is boring and predictable, the artwork is clownish, the message is obvious and shallow.”
Another one-star review said in part, “ This book is nothing more than grooming. It is highly inappropriate and should not be exposed to children.”
Yet five-star reviews describe the book as “wonderful” with one saying, “Definitely brought back a lot of memories for myself. A very clean, coming out story.”
If these widely varying reviews reflect the school board and school administrators, I doubt that conservatives and liberals can reach common ground on such books. We’ll see.
Did Grants Pass High School allow subscriptions to pornographic magazines like Playboy and Hustler be on the library shelves in the 1970’s?
Of course not. The school board, teachers and administrative staff kept the focus on academics, vocational arts and preparing students for success in life.
Allowing books like this in the school library is an extension of the “comprehensive sexuality education” mandated by the Oregon Department of Education in Salem. Need a refresher course on what this includes? Read this:
https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/documents/sexedfaq.pdf
The mind can only keep one thought in focus at a time. It’s common sense that academics will suffer when students are thinking about their sexuality, gender identity, etc.
Oregon recently released the standardized test scores for 2024. What percentage of Grants Pass High School 11th grade students tested at grade level?
English: 62%
Math: 29%
Science: 46%
Source: https://schools.oregonlive.com/school/Grants-Pass/Grants-Pass-High-School/
Nathan Seable wants books like “Flamer” to be screened out before they land on the school shelves. The current policy allows such books to be approved and placed in the library. Books won’t be removed until after complaints are submitted and the book is given a closer look.
Let me leave you with something else to ponder.
Did you know that Oregon law gives an exemption for public libraries (including school libraries) from the laws requiring the reporting of child pornography?
Let me quote from ORS 163.682:
The provisions of ORS 163.665 (Definitions) to 163.693 (Failure to report child pornography) do not apply to:
(3) Any bona fide educational activity, including studies and lectures, in the fields of medicine, psychotherapy, sociology or criminology, except that this exception shall not apply to any activity prohibited by ORS 163.670 (Using child in display of sexually explicit conduct);
(5) A public library, as defined in ORS 357.400 (Definitions for ORS 357.400 to 357.621), or a library exempt from taxation under ORS 307.090 (Property of the state, counties and other municipal corporations) or 307.130 (Property of certain museums, volunteer fire departments and literary, benevolent, charitable and scientific institutions), except that these exceptions do not apply to any activity prohibited by ORS 163.670 (Using child in display of sexually explicit conduct). [1991 c.664 §3; 2011 c.515 §9]
Oregon law allows sexually explicit materials with illustrations of minors to be used in the classroom. In some districts parents will not be given copies of sex ed materials because the exemption does not cover parents reviewing the materials at home.
That public school libraries are exempt from laws requiring the reporting of child pornography should alarm all parents.
Common sense school policies should seek to “first, do no harm.” If certain books can harm children, then they should not be allowed to be read or checked out by students on school property. Parents can buy such books from Amazon for their home libraries.
One more thing. Since 2012, Oregon’s governor has been officially in charge of Oregon public schools. The Democrat-controlled legislature has passed so many education bills which raise the cost of education while delivering lower academic results.
Remember this as you cast your ballots. Elect conservative candidates who will seek to protect children in our parks, schools, libraries, and other public spaces. Our children deserve better. Let’s get to work making Oregon a better place to live.
Richard Emmons is the publisher and editor of the Oregon Eagle.