Kentucky Lawmakers Pass Bill That Will Allow Parents to Challenge Obscene Books in Schools

A new bill passed in Kentucky will allow parents to challenge obscene books and teachings in public schools.

Lawmakers in the Republican-led House voted 80-18 to pass Senate Bill 5 after a lengthy debate on Wednesday evening.

The vote was split mostly along party lines.

However, the bill still needs to be signed by Democrat Governor Andy Beshear to become law.

Laws to protect parental rights in education have been sweeping the nation as Democrats seek to prevent parents from having a say in what they are learning. This holds especially true for graphic and obscene LGBTQ-focused books.

According to a report from Fox News, Kentucky’s bill would “require the state’s school districts to create a process for parents to challenge educational materials they believe to be “harmful” to children and would also direct the Kentucky Department of Education to adopt a model policy for the complaint resolution process.”

“At the passage of the bill, parents would be permitted to submit a complaint to the school principal, who would have the authority to decide if the materials in question would remain or be removed or restricted,” the report continued to explain. “Parents who disagreed with the principal’s decision could appeal to the local school board with set time limits on each phase of the review process that parents would be included in. Those who disagree with the school board’s decision could choose to opt their children out of instruction that includes the disputed material.”

The school board would have 30 days to decide on the materials in question.

Republican Rep. Russell Webber responded to Democrats who claimed that the legislation is about banning books by saying that “we are talking about protecting children in this commonwealth from examples of extreme sexual exposure to material, to events, to programs.”

Rep. Josh Calloway spoke on the House floor during the debate and said that activists working to sexualize and pervert children must be stopped.

“Inside of our education system are activists that are working to sexualize our children and that are working to gain the minds of our children and pervert them,” Calloway said. “That’s what we’re trying to address.”

Rep. Tina Bojanowski, a Louisville Democrat and active teacher, said the legislation “is fueling the flames of the culture wars,” according to a report from Yahoo News.

 

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