"Words matter. Spoken or written, words are derived from thought/idea and promote further thought. Thoughts and ideas often become action. That said, some words are inappropriate, especially for the young, innocent and curious minds of children. At least theoretically, it’s up to the parents/guardians of children to decide what is appropriate and inappropriate. When we send our children to school or the public library, we trust that those temporarily in charge will protect them from inappropriate material. Perhaps mistakenly, we’d trusted others to share our moral values. Sadly, material that most parents deem inappropriate, had been introduced into those historically safe spaces and was easily accessible to anyone.
The Children’s School and Library Protection Act (§18-1517B) was designed to protect children from (age) inappropriate material. It does NOT infringe on anyone’s first amendment right, as parents can access said material who then can provide it to their children as they see fit.
For those that oppose the law, other than seemingly wanting to defend your first amendment right, I have just one question. Why is it so important to make material available to minors that school board members that seemingly agree with you, won’t allow parents read aloud at school board meetings nationwide?
We must understand that when the absorbent mind of a child repeatedly consumes sexually charged and/or violent material, it can ultimately result in altered behavior. Knowing these books are written for minors, what may seem to be innocuous at first glance, is in fact making an impression which may have long-term repercussions. It may be worth your time to review the material prior to your child’s exposure to it."
KAREN MILACEK
Letter to the Editor (CDA Press), March 19, 2025
