In the wake of heated controversy surrounding a host of sexually-charge books which students have access to in Mat-Su school libraries, the Mat-Su School Board voted on May 24 to establish a new Library Citizens Advisory Committee.
School Board Members Kathy McCollum and Kendal Kruse asked their fellow board members to establish the new committee, which was approved on a 6-1 vote.
According to school board policy, one of the main roles of the new library committee will be to “enable both citizens and educators to better understand the attitudes and opinions held in the school and community.” The committee will also examine library books to ensure schools are not disseminating sexually explicit material to minors in violation of Alaska statute.
To achieve this end, each of the seven school board members will recommend a citizen from their district to serve on the library committee. Additional members may be added by the school superintendent from a separate pool, which could include school employees, librarians and others.
The May 24 meeting included an organized crowd of public union Mat-Su educators and librarians wearing red NEA-Alaska shirts. As a whole the union members expressed opposition to removing controversial books and claimed such efforts were akin to censorship. Most of their comments were in favor of keeping the sexualized books.
Controversy erupted earlier this year, however, with the revelation that scores of these books were circulating through school libraries. The list of all controversial titles, which are currently being challenged by parents, includes fiction and nonfiction books containing detailed descriptions of masturbation, anal and oral sex, sex toys, pole dancing, sex parties, dominatrix, foul language, descriptions of graphic and violent rape, gay teen sex encounters, gender transitioning characters and more.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
These books largely appear in various middle and high schools throughout the Mat-Su, with the most challenged titles coming from Valley Pathways, Career and Technical High, Wasilla High, Mat-Su Central, Burchell High, Palmer High, Su-Valley Jr./Sr. High and Glacier View.
School Board President Tom Bergey said he believes the new library committee will be up and running by the start of the coming school year, but noted there are still a lot of details to iron out.
Responsibilities of the library committee will be defined by the school district superintendent and may change over time. Advice or recommendations by the committee will be channeled through the superintendent directly to the school board.
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to contact members of the Mat-Su School Board.
— Click here to contact School District Superintendent Randy Trani.
14 Comments
I think that there is still discussion going on as to how to select the members for this committee. I cannot recall, but it seems like there was first going to be “interviews” to select the committee members; but, then they got over 300 applications, so then there was going to be a “lottery.” Concern was expressed about the fairness of a lottery. Is the School board back to the plan of doing interviews?
Have you ever NOT inflicted your opinion on every story on Joel’s website?
Likewise I say to you Lucinda.
It’s a bunch of crock bs.
They will only put woke people on this board, plus this board has no power. It’s up to the parents and community to keep this trash out of our schools.
Haha. It’s just a carrot to stop the crazies from waving their pitchforks.
They already vet books before they are chosen. And it will add another layer of people you will have to deal with when you try to censor books. I already like this new plan. Lol
Have you read any of the books in question? Go to Booklooks.org and read the depraved writings for yourself! And this vile porn is given to 14 yr. olds THROUGH THE LIBRARIES! The librarians are distributing porn! Who vetted these books? Not anyone with a moral compass! In fact, these putrid books are straight out of hell! They are designed to corrupt children!
We are supposed to protect the children; not give them things that will harm them!
The school board said they’d create a community based committee which checked the box for most concerned about the issue. They sent out a sign up link and were overwhelmed with the response they received from the conservative majority. Now all of our names are on a neat little publicly recorded list.
Next they walked their promise back by saying they would choose who would be on this board. Not randomly, no lottery. Now it is becoming more clear as to who gets to make that choice: other school board members and librarians with a liberal agenda.
Mat Su has become Anchorage #2 and is headed for worse.
I has a feeling they were going to get rid of the lottery. It would have been a lot fairer than letting these biased people pick them. What happens when normal people finally realize that these cowards on the left have no morals, decency, integrity or honor? They will in every case lie, cheat, manipulate, gaslight and then wave it in front of the publics’ faces. This is no news to people like myself, but I’m quite interested to see how many people they radicalize against their leftist agenda. It’s beautiful. The more the globohomo lunatics speak, the more they are hated. Boycott EVERYTHING
Nunya: I get pissed off at absurd gross generalizations and especially when they are are indirectly pointed at me. I have never been a coward on ANYTHING and I’ve given far more than I’ve taken over my lifetime. I’m a liberal atheist and I think of others first. I’ve never cheated anyone. If there is a dispute, I always give a little more than required. I’m intelligent and honest and above all, every decision I make must allow me to remain within the circle of integrity and every decision does.
Compare that resume to Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump, Matt Geatz, MTG, Kushner, Boebert, Gosar, McCarthy, McConnell, L Graham, Kelly Anne Conway, Rudy Giuliani, Steve Brannon, Michal Flynn, Mark Meadows, Michael Cohen, Kari Lake, and that Santos creep
Nice list of names Lucinda. Once again, you are blaming the truth tellers and people promoting fairness and justice for the things that you and the demonrats do and support. I cannot speak for McCarthy or Kelly Anne Conway, or Michael Cohen or George Santos because I do not know them well enough. The following are scum in my book: Kushner, McConnell, and Lindsey Graham. The rest on that list are fighting for Americans and the People of the World to free everyone from the demons trying to conquer the world and I pray that they stay safe and keep fighting the good fight for humanity!
Phony Friend. So Guliani shares your same values? The most recent revelation of his values is that he was selling presidential pardons for two million, split with defendant Trump. Your values too?
You read lies and you spew lies in step with the lefty narrative Lucinda.
Except what you call lies are in this case true. But you are mentally incapable of discernment. You are a specimen of the human mind that I’ve seldom come across
Likewise Lucinda. However, I am on God Almighty’s side – the winning team. Never to late for you to repent.