When the Oklahoma legislature resumes, discussion and voting on Senate Bill 1142 is on the agenda.
Should naked bodies appear in picture books for the very young? Of course not! To my knowledge, no school library in Oklahoma has ever contained such a book.
Should older youth be exposed to adult behaviors that may include sexual activity or broken housekeeping? I believe that all students have the right to read books that contain behavior as they see it in any media.
Whether seen or discussed among peers, these activities constitute life. Preventing seeing such content violates the ability of our young people to think and discern for themselves. All age groups have natural questions about who they are and where they come from.
Any state that blocks its citizens from thinking limits the next generation to pursue its own greatness. There are many obstacles that must be overcome before they can be climbed. This is how we learn.
What this new SB 1142 does is not the elimination of such literature. This bill would encourage any parent to sue the school library and teachers promoting any book deemed inappropriate.
SB 1142 would allow parents to sue individuals for a minimum of $ 10,000. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but let’s continue the discussions and find a better way to resolve the differences of opinion.
