Most people agree with the concept that ideas conferred in books have the capacity to profoundly impact who we are and who we may become. Adults should have the freedom to read anything they choose. Book censorship is wrong. We support our First Amendment Rights.
The issue parents concerned with library books in school libraries are addressing and attempting to convey is that many books available to children within the confines of the school system present ideas that are not age appropriate. Children should be offered a wide selection, but there must be safeguards in place to ensure that the books they select to read will not damage them.
It is our responsibility as citizens, parents, teachers and school administrators to protect our children from harm. In fact, according to Michigan Law, schools have a duty to provide for the safety and welfare of students.
The idea of scrutinizing the age appropriateness of books within our schools should not be met with opposition or suspicion. There are many examples of age-limited participation all around us. We don’t allow children to drive until they are 16. Movies are rated G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. We have age requirements for purchasing tobacco and alcohol products. These age restrictions aren’t established to censor the general public. They are put in place to limit access to certain materials, ideas or behaviors for which the young person has not yet attained the mental maturity to undertake.
Although we agree with everything in the Library Bill of Rights Document and the Freedom to Read, neither address the fact that school libraries target very specific age groups. These documents are simply not relevant in respect to books available to children in school libraries. When a book is removed from a school library, the book is not censored, it is simply deemed not necessary or appropriate for the target audience. After all the school removes books each year.
It is imperative that we put measures in place to protect our children from the potential harm of reading library books that are not age appropriate. Books must be rated, categorized and parents must be notified BEFORE their child is allowed access to sexually explicit material whether written, digital, video, or in pictures.