Please Follow us on Gab, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, Gettr, Truth Social, Twitter
Librarians don’t like being challenged, so this bill cancels parents from challenging books in school libraries. Voters are fed up with Cancel Culture – but some legislators have not gotten the message. Join us Wednesday and list the reasons why this bill cancels parents and the community from the library. This bill . . .
SB7014 transfers authority over sexually explicit materials in school libraries from Boards of Education to librarians (lines 48, 64) in violation of PICO (Pico is a Supreme Court decision that permits BOEs to exclude materials that are “pervasively vulgar” and materials not “educationally suitable”). The bill excludes community members from challenging books (lines 11 to 14) and excludes the community and parents from the book review policy development (section b). The bill also forbids Boards of Education from restricting materials that introduce gender ideology (line 57, 60). A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, February 26 at 10AM. Please submit written testimony, attend the hearing and testify in person or remotely (see bottom).
Sexually Explicit Materials in School
The bill is the “camel’s nose” under the tent for Comprehensive Sex Education in every school library. It gives broad authority to librarians to put comprehensive sex education materials on the shelves (line 60 – “material related to sexual health”). A Board of Education will only be able to remove material that is not “appropriate for students based on age, development and grade level” (line 64) after a highly restrictive process (only parents of currently enrolled children/students – lines 11 & 12 – may file a challenge using review process drafted by school employees – section b). A meaningless standard when you consider what the State already considers “appropriate”.
Section d(6) narrows ability of BOE to move or remove library books from current First Amendment standards (under Pico).
The bill paves the way for any book to be placed on the shelf based on what a librarian considers “sexual health” – including books on gender or sex instruction manuals (line 60) and changes the standard for removal of any book by BOE based on whether the materials are “pervasively vulgar” or “educationally suitable” (as guaranteed to School Boards by the Supreme Court Pico case) to whether the material is “appropriate for students based on age, development and grade level” (line 64). THAT is not the standard that Boards should use. THAT is the discredited standard librarians used to put the book on the shelf in the first place. Boards of Education must use common sense and the standards protected by the First Amendment, informed by voters and parents. This is a power grab by librarians and the State.
What is considered “age, development and grade level” appropriate?
This bill permits librarians to bring in comprehensive sex education into schools through the library as material “related to sexual health” (lines 60 to 65). Once comprehensive sex education materials secure a spot on the shelves of the school library, they will be difficult if not impossible to remove (because of the limited pool of people who can object, the cost/expense of making challenges, what the State already advertised as “appropriate”). Sex education materials like “Let’s Talk About It” provide detailed instructions on masturbation. Instructions for masturbation are considered “age, development and grade level” appropriate for 8 year olds by our Connecticut State Department of Education 2021 Guidelines and many librarians.
Materials including instructions on how to have sex – including “vaginal, anal and oral” sex for 11 year olds are considered “appropriate” by our State Department of Education. Local control must be preserved for our Boards of Education who answer to parents and not the employees of the school system influenced by the State Department of Education.
A BOE may not want “gender ideology” in their schools.
The bill bans the Board from moving or removing books about gender ideology (lines 57 and as “sexual health” in line 60). Gender ideology teaches children, even in Connecticut, that any deviation from retrograde and exaggerated sex stereotypes means they are “transgender”. First, it teaches children the sex stereotypes as an ideal (which is something we were getting away from as a society🙄) and then instructs the children to define their identities based off how and in what ways they deviate from that ideal. It stops natural exploration of personalities for children, locking them into identities based on false sex stereotypes and endless categorizations. For some kids, it leads to social contagion, increased gender dysphoria, social gender transitions, puberty blocking and more.
From there, it teaches children that they can be born in the wrong body, that girls should be robbed of their athletic achievements by biological boys, acceptance of tampons in boys restrooms, and more. Not only will teaching this concept in library books jeopardize federal funding of our schools (under evolving federal law), it is a false and troubling ideology.
What can we do?
Submit Written Testimony: Please submit written testimony against this bill (it only has to be a few brief sentences, or simply “I oppose”). You can include your name or even submit anonymously. Below is one example. Of course, you can type as much testimony as you like, but please don’t feel you have to do more.
Testify in person or remotely: Register to testify before Tuesday, February 25th at 3pm. These registrations can close early, so act ASAP. Please register early knowing it is easier to skip testifying than to register late (there is no late registration). The Education Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday February 26th, 2025 at 10:00 AM in Room 1E of the LOB and via Zoom. Registration will close on Tuesday February 25th, 2025 at 3:00 P.M. Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted on the Education Committee website on Tuesday February 25th, 2025 by 6:00 PM under Public Hearing Testimony. Please submit written testimony using the On-line Testimony Submission Form. NOTE: Every individual who registers for the public hearing will receive a Zoom link, regardless of the method in which they plan to testify. If an individual’s method of testifying should change (that is, choosing to testify remotely when they registered to testify in person), committee staff does not need to be notified.
Everybody gets 3 minutes to testify! Your written testimony does not have to match your oral testimony. You can submit as much or as little written material as you like. Written testimony can also be submitted anytime, even after the hearing. If you have more questions about this bill or testifying, please join us at a zoom meeting on Monday, February 24 at noon. Register HERE.
