“This is a crime, a felony.”
Representing the group Parents and Taxpayers Against Pornography in Rockford Public Schools, Helen Brinkman says the 14 titles they want banned violate state law that prohibits dissemination of harmful pornographic material to minors.
“This is an abomination. It’s a sin. They all talk about having sex underage.”
But the attorney for Rockford Schools, Steve van Stempvoort, says the books are not part of the sex education curriculum and are not required reading.
“A library book is just in the library. Nobody has to check it out. Nobody has to read it if they don’t want.”
And while the books may not appeal to everyone,
“Each of these books has received a literary award.”
A lower court ruled the books are not, as a whole, harmful to minors and dismissed criminal disseminating pornography charges against Rockford administrators. Now the book ban group is asking the state Court of Appeals to reverse that decision.
“There is no right under the law for the school to disseminate these books in the library”
“They just took little snippets out of the book. You have to analyze the book as a whole and determine if it lacks any serious literary, scientific, educational, political or artistic value.”
