Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Materials Parental Rights topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents, residents urge Tempe Union to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries
Summary
Five public commenters told the Tempe Union High School District governing board that sexually explicit titles in school libraries violate Arizona law and are driving families away; speakers urged opt-in notification and removal but the board took no action during public comment.
At a Tempe Union High School District governing board meeting, five public commenters urged the board to remove sexually explicit books from school libraries and to adopt stronger parental-notice and opt-in policies. The comments came during the meeting's public-comment period and included citations to state law and U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
Commenters said the presence of certain titles undermines parental trust and contributes to declining enrollment. "This isn't a policy debate. It is a legal breach," said Sloan Adams, identifying himself as "a father, a taxpayer," referring to his reading of the district's library holdings and to ARS 15-1-20.02 as cited in his remarks.
Speakers named several books and described passages they called pornographic or sexually explicit. John Amonchukwu, a public commenter, said he had read passages from a book held in district libraries and asked the board to "remove the filth." Leslie Shepherd displayed and discussed a different title she said is shelved in the children's department and told the board she has reported the material to local authorities, saying the book meets her definition of explicit and referring to Arizona criminal statutes during her remarks.
Several speakers linked the availability of those titles to a broader drop in enrollment. "Fewer kids equals fewer teachers, fewer programs, weaker schools," Adams said, urging the board to publish a parental-disclosure list, require opt-in permission for explicit material and provide alternatives in compliance with Arizona law.
Some commenters cited legal authorities. Speakers referenced ARS 15-1-20.02 and ARS 13-3507 (as spoken at the meeting) and invoked U.S. Supreme Court precedent they characterized as authorizing removal of material from school libraries, mentioning "Pico v. Island Springs School District" and a recently cited case, "Mahmood v. Taylor." The board did not act on the requests during the public-comment period; the meeting proceeded to other business after the allotted comment time ended.
Board members did not take immediate policy action in response to the remarks during public comment. The public-comment period closed after the scheduled five speakers. The board later considered consent and business items on the agenda; no vote to remove library material was recorded during the meeting.
The district's next scheduled special meeting on the budget is July 16; the next regular meeting is August 6, according to the board's announcements at the meeting.
