Overview:
Cobb County Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale pulled an additional 4 library books citing materials containing “lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit content", nor will your taxes be used to fund it".
At a board meeting Thursday, Cobb County Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale pulled an additional 4 library books citing materials containing “lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit content”, nor will your taxes be used to fund it”.
The additional books taken off the shelves as of Thursday in Cobb County Schools are “13 Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, and “Lucky” by Alice Sebold.
This ban comes after several books were removed from shelves in Cobb County Schools in August due to “highly inappropriate, sexually explicit content.” It started when Due West Elementary teacher Katie Rinderle was fired for reading “My Shadow is Purple” to her 5th-grade class. Then more books, “Flamer” by Mike Curato and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl “by Jesse Andrews, were also banned after Moms of Liberty contacted Cobb County Schools, citing “pornographic themed books for students.
According to Pen American, twenty-five books have been banned in Marietta, Georgia, since September, with many of them being written by LGBTQ+ authors and/or including LGBTQ+ characters. In 2022, SB 226 a law was passed in Georgia that allows parents to object to materials on the grounds that they deem harmful to minors. Books could be deemed harmful to minors to the “prurient, shameful, or morbid” interest of minors, are “patently offensive” to the community, and lack literary value for minors.
Several public speakers disagreed with the superintendent’s position at the board meeting. Sharon Hudson remarked on the district’s lack of support for media specialists.
“Its thought being a media specialist in CCSD is tough right now. The board majority, superintendent and even a candidate for school board are attacking media specialists and claiming their trying to give students pornographic materials. They are not. After being cyberbullied by an out of state hate group linked to sending bomb threats for teachers and schools. The superintendent launched an effort to check every single book in schools for pornography. What a waste of resources. How insulting…”
Despite the concerns, Ragsdale remained unmoved about the removal of the books.
“As I have repeatedly stated, ‘I do believe the attempt to sexualize children is evil, and we as educators have a professional and moral responsibility to prevent it,” Superintendent Ragsdale said. “This is not only a professional but moral obligation. And I will reiterate my position; I will not be moved.”