The following opinion on books available in the Grand Haven Area Public School libraries was written by a student who graduated from Grand Haven High School less than two years ago.
“I am absolutely appalled by the districts position on pornographic books in the libraries. The truth of it is, school libraries are very much different from public libraries - to treat them as equal is absolutely ridiculous. None of this movement is about restricting the 1st amendment. I think if GHAPS listened to the people, many of them would be the greatest supporters of the first amendment.
This is about the school preventing parents from being involved in their child’s education and media consumption. I was an avid reader in school and I can’t remember specifically when or what book, but I’m positive the first time I was inadvertently exposed to pornography was from a book in the school library at one of the Grand Haven schools. There was no way of knowing that was what was in the book when I opened it. I read so many books that it would have been difficult for my parents to screen every one, a policy that I probably wouldn’t have liked either (but parents usually know best).
From that point on I kept reading all sorts of books and occasionally they would depict incredibly graphic pornography. I was certainly too young for the books but I thought it was ok - because it was from the library. It’s absolutely disheartening that the schools do not seem to care what they are handing unknowing children without the parent’s knowledge. What’s worse is that they are painting caring and involved parents that want to protect their children as tyrants who want to ban information, knowledge, and curiosity.
I don’t think my curiosity or knowledge would have been stifled if there had been policies in place to protect me from what I read too soon. It may have even helped me, because had I read better books, with healthier relationships, it may have saved me from a disaster of an incredibly unhealthy first relationship when I was 14. I really do agree with the idea that parents should be allowed a way to be more involved with what their kids are taking in from the library.
This view is not as a concerned parent though. It’s from the point of view of a college student that graduated from Grand Haven less than 2 years ago who has actually been affected by the lack of policy in place to protect students.”