COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A couple-hundred students at Perkiomen Valley High School staged a walk-out Monday to protest a proposal from the Perkiomen Valley Board of School Directors that supporters say would give parents more control over limiting sexually explicit material in school libraries.
Perkiomen Valley junior Aspen Bradley, one of the organizers of the walkout, says the proposal would allow the removal of any books with explicit sexual content, including “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which Bradley argues would marginalize certain groups.
“Students of my age -- like, you are already extremely vulnerable at this time. So adding being a member of a minority, and neglecting to educate us all, is just irresponsible and dangerous.”
Bradley and fellow organizer Perkiomen Valley junior Bella Day say they feel some parents in the district are trying to tell every other parent what books are unacceptable.
“Any parent can choose that their child won’t read a book, you can put your kid on a list, and they can check out certain books if you decide. So parents already have full control over what their children are reading.”
Current policy allows parents to file a challenge of a book, and also allows them to fill out a form saying their child cannot check out certain books.
But parents who support a more strict review policy say it’s not about targeting one particular group, but instead simply about limiting access to explicit content in school libraries.
The book policy was to be discussed at Monday’s board meeting, but was taken off the agenda and moved to the district’s Policy Committee for further discussion.
School Superintendent Barbara Russell said she’s proud of how the students handled the protest, adding it’s an important and challenging topic.
“My focus has been on, again, trying to navigate the concerns around sexually explicit language in books, as well as that access to books avoiding censorship, avoiding any violation of First Amendment rights.”
Russell says the district needs to work to find common ground: “And accommodate parents who have expressed concerns about some of this sexually explicit content, as well as afford all students access to those books in the library that connect for them, they are life experiences that they can relate to.”
Board President Jason Saylor also said he’s proud to see students exercise their First Amendment rights, calling it “part of the fabric of our republic.”