A state Senator said she wants tighter restrictions on access to pornographic materials in Missouri charter schools and digital library catalogs. Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, said public schools and libraries are already required to take preventative measures.
“It’s an attempt to make sure that our public tax dollars are not being used to allow graphic materials to be accessible to students in our school libraries,” Coleman told Missourinet.
She said that her bill proposes a disclosure agreement for minors.
“So that librarians are having to let parents know, ‘Hey here’s the material that is and isn’t being provided,'” she said. “Then, there’s a process that is put in place for people to make a determination about this is or is not actually going to be a pornographic material.”
Another provision of the bill states that public and charter schools would be required to post the names of all the required books on their websites and provide parents access to the digital library catalog. The bill would also allow parents to file lawsuits for alleged violations.
“If it is deemed to be pornographic and maintains access to students, it creates a private right of action for parents to actually be able to sue with a fine to make sure that this is actually stopping,” she explained.
Missourinet has contacted the Missouri Association of School Libraries and the Missouri Library Association, and we are awaiting a response.
Click here for more information.
Copyright © 2024 Missourinet