Posted on 03/06/2024 12:37:46 PM PST by nickcarraway
A bill that aims to push back against a rise in book bans in Oregon school districts has passed the Senate.
Senate Bill 1583 says that "that a school official cannot prohibit materials because the materials concern a class of people identified in our education anti-discrimination laws. In other words, you cannot ban a book because the book involves folks from marginalized communities," according to bill sponsor Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland.
"If you are not allowing kids to have books, and you are telling them what books they have to read or what books they can't read, you are basically setting them up for not understanding the world we have around us," Frederick said.
Earlier this month, several librarians, teachers and parents expressed support for the bill, with one teacher saying, "Students don't need to be protected from the truth. Rather, they need to learn the truth in order for them to navigate a complex world, and if they understand historical injustices, they're better prepared to recognize, address and repair injustice they encounter today."
Meanwhile, opponents claimed that bill would take away power from school boards and parents to determine what's appropriate for kids.
On Tuesday, Senate Republicans voted as a bloc against the ban, with Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, proposing a minority report that would have given more time to discuss the issue in future sessions, according to a press release. That was voted down by Democrats.
“Democrats framed this bill as an issue of discrimination, but the bigger picture is ensuring Oregon schools provide appropriate reading material to their students to enhance their educational experiences. Our minority report recognized that discrimination is wrong, and so is providing children explicit content harmful to their development,” said Knopp in a statement.
On the Senate floor Tuesday, Republican lawmakers said the state should not try to control the decisions of local school districts, claiming that this may allow inappropriate content to slip through the cracks.
"I don't think that it is this body's responsibility to tell a school district what they can and cannot make available,” said Sen. Daniel Bohman, R-The Dalles. "I want to be clear that books still exist whether they are not in the schools' libraries. We are not burning books. We are not banning books. We are just saying this is probably not something that a child should be encouraged to read."
“Book banning is a widespread tool used to oppress free speech and thought in Oregon and nationwide,” said Frederick in a statement. “All kids deserve the opportunity to see themselves, their families, and members of their community represented in the books they read. Oregonians should get to decide what they personally read, not political agendas.”
Meanwhile, Emily O'Neal, the chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee with the Oregon Library Association, also expressed support for the bill, citing a 2023 incident where the Canby School District removed all copies of "Lolita," despite parental protests.
Complaints from two community members had spurred the district's decision to temporarily remove 35 books in total from school libraries a few months ago, pending review, which Canby students turned out to protest. Members of the Oregon Library Association said proper protocol wasn’t followed in removing "Lolita," as well as restricting the other 34 books.
The bill will now move to the House Rules Committee, where people who are either for, against or neutral will have another opportunity to testify in front of lawmakers on Thursday.
That’s exactly what I was thinking, even before I got to your comment.
If gay sex books are good for kids, and Dr. Seuss books are bad for kids ... you might be a Democrat.
Pedophiles rejoice (they are “marginalized.”)
Then flood the schools with books about Christians persecuted in communist countries.
>> one teacher saying, “Students don’t need to be protected from the truth.”
what’s the likelihood this one teacher is a lying predator?
So have they banned the Bible yet? After all it’s full of condemnation of gay relationships.
“So, wait, they can’t ban Mein Kampf etc.?”
Or any sexually oriented written or graphic, gender oriented, violence description like attacks, muggings, rape, incest, satanic material, racial pressuring, politcal jargon, or any challenge to morality or religious teachings...
They can have these books. But they should be age appropriate and set in sections that can be monitored. And if the books are going to be checked out, there should be a cousellor available to go over a list of who should not see these books and that they will have their parents available, with a signed release already on file at the library, to enforce the rule as under 18 bears no responsibility to contract in any state in the union.
Then it would have people to assist in the understnding of books at age appropriate, with direction of topics, to make sure the book stays age appropriate and can be defined in their content. And the age appropriate will be determined by county or district ballot to the parents so they understand their respopnsibility.
That will probably keep the books in the library and the staff tired of sitting with the students to baby sit. Responsibility goes both ways. If they are going to supply the material for kids to view or read because they don’t wish to prevent kids from learning such material, then they should be held responsible for teaching “or in person guiding” the subject matter.
wy69
But they’ll ban the Bible fast enough.
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Really good point. I meant to say something like that.
There are some great books I still wouldn’t recommend to readers of certain ages, for various reasons.
“Intellectual Freedom” is nothing more than a fig leaf to cover those who have handed over to a reprobate mind who are out to corrupt children.
To test their allegiance to “intellectual freedom” ask them if they would allow books and videos by Ken Hamm and Henry Morris in their collection.
This should be labelled the Porn in School bill.
Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland. I believe State Senator Lew Frederick is misidentified, since his political party is Marxocrat - People’s Republic of Poopland!! 🤓
“...great books I still wouldn’t recommend to readers of certain ages...”
There always seems to be someone that will get a position of power and play the book game. There have always been books that people found something wrong with them. And many times they were right. During my youth it was the Bond books and 1984. They were fine for R rated movies, and nowadays PG. But I, like you seem to lean, don’t think either of them were appropriate K through 8.
Parents need to be more proactive in their kids education and be interactive with the people that select the books they are subject to. And that includes textbooks to better define what they are being taught. Normally paying the teachers through taxes paid by the parents should warrant some say.
wy69
“Students don’t need to be protected from the truth. Rather, they need to learn the truth in order for them to navigate a complex world, and if they understand historical injustices, they’re better prepared to recognize, address and repair injustice they encounter today.”
.....................................
Oh you mean like the Bible???
“book involves folks from marginalized communities”
That means they can’t ban books supporting white people?
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