'Unelected Librarians' Do Not Control Public Libraries, Parents Do; Withhold Funding Until Children Are Protected From Explicit Material

I am writing as a deeply concerned parent, citizen, and representative of Sioux County to demand immediate action to protect our children from explicit and sexually graphic materials that remain freely accessible in our public libraries.

Recently, parents in Sioux Center brought a shocking case to the attention of the Library Director and Board: their young child was able to check out a book from the adult section containing sexually explicit content wholly inappropriate for minors.  These parents asked only for basic safeguards so their children would be protected when visiting their local library.  Instead, the Library Director and a majority of the Board voted to continue allowing minors unrestricted access to adult materials.  This decision is a profound failure of leadership and common sense—one that the people of Sioux County have noticed and will not accept. 

I call on the library board members who voted against reasonable restrictions to reverse their decision immediately and implement clear, enforceable policies that protect minors from explicit content.  At minimum, these policies must include: 

• Prohibiting minors from checking out materials from the adult section, and 
• Establishing a transparent review process that gives parents—not unelected librarians—the final say on what is appropriate for children. 

Finally, I urge the Sioux County Board of Supervisors to use every tool at your disposal—including the immediate withholding or cutting of all county funding—to compel every library in Sioux County to adopt and enforce strong child-protection policies.  Taxpayer dollars must never subsidize the distribution of explicit material to minors.  Any library that continues to defy the reasonable demands of parents should have its public funding revoked until full compliance is achieved. 

The safety and innocence of our children should never be treated as negotiable.  They are the most vulnerable members of our community, and they deserve leaders who will stand up for them without apology or compromise. 

I expect a written response from the Library Board, and the Library Director outlining the specific actions that will be taken within two weeks.

God Bless,

Rep. Skyler Wheeler

[NOTE: Source of above: Facebook - Skyler Wheeler, State Representative at Iowa House of Representatives

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