Central Bucks passes textbook policy banning some sexually explicit material
About two weeks after passing a controversial library policy critics called one of the most restrictive in the state, Central Bucks School Board members passed a new textbook policy focusing on sexually explicit material in the classroom.
In a 6-3 vote Tuesday, the school board passed a policy prohibiting any textbooks and supplemental materials that could "expose minor students to certain age-inappropriate content." Board directors Tabitha Dell'Angelo, Karen Smith and Dr. Mariam Mahmud dissented.
The district's new textbook policy focuses on restricting access to classroom materials containing "visual or visually implied depictions" or "explicit written depictions" of sexual acts, with some exceptions for educational materials about avoiding and reporting abuse or "educating about the procreative sex act" for health or science classes.
Dell'Angelo raised concerns that the "procreative sex" term could lead to discrimination against any discussions not about a heterosexual relationship, and Mahmud questioned if the policy would mean substandard sex education in the district.
Board director Sharon Collopy said the policy would keep the district in line with state standards of what it must teach, and board Vice President Leigh Vlasblom added that the intent of the policy was like the library policy, passed on July 26, in that specifics would be developed administratively later.
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"The intent of this policy, or 109.2, was to just have a process developed by administration. So, definitions, I’m sure, could be added into any administration (regulation) for this policy as well," Vlasblom said.
Vlasblom, Collopy and board President Dana Hunter and members Jim Pepper, Lisa Sciscio and Debra Cannon voted in favor of the textbook policy.
While the policy governs districtwide rules on textbooks and other resources, it also requires parental consent before a student can use any educational materials that might include sexual content.
Health classes that included lessons on sexually transmitted diseases or the district's human growth and development classes could potentially fall under classes that would require parental consent.
Marlene Pray, founder and director of Doylestown LGBTQ youth center The Rainbow Room, said the policy's parental requirements effectively change the district's sex education courses from opt-out to opt-in, a detriment to the diverse student population.
Pray noted language in the policy seemed to be lifted from state Senate Bill 1277, a bill that has been criticized as the commonwealth's version of a Florida law critics have dubbed the Don't Say Gay bill.
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The bill from two Republican lawmakers from Lancaster, state Sens. Scott Martin and Ryan Aument, takes aim at complaints of “age-inappropriate conversations about sexual orientation or gender identity” they say are occurring in public schools.
The policy's description of visual and written depictions of sex are very similar to SB 1277's "sexually explicit content" definition.
"We have these children of diverse gender identities in every building in our district. Discussions about their lives are not 'bizarre,' they are lifesaving and affirming," Pray said Tuesday, referencing a statement about the bill made by gubernatorial candidate Sen. Doug Mastriano.
Pray said the opt-in policy would be a barrier as "not all children have parents or guardians who are willing or able to have these necessary conversations."
What the Central Bucks textbook policy says
The consent requirements vary between elementary, middle and high schools.
Parents of middle and high school students will have to consent before their students can access "resource materials containing explicit written descriptions of sexual acts or visual depictions of nudity."
The elementary school consent requirements appear to be the most restrictive, requiring parental consent "before using any textbooks or supplementary resource materials containing implied written descriptions of sexual acts for the purposes of teaching students to avoid or report molestation, any diagrams for educating about anatomy for purposes of science and health instruction, and any visual depictions of nudity or implied nudity relating to classical works of art."
Under this policy, middle and high school students could be taught about avoiding and reporting molestation, while elementary school students would require approval from the student's parent.
About 34% of child sex abuse victims are under the age of 12, according to information on the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) website.
While board member Smith attempted to bring up questions about the parental consent requirements, board members began talking over each other as some called for a vote after nearly 30 minutes of discussion.
The textbook policy drew multiple comparisons to the district's library policy passed on July 26, a set of guidelines that included allowing any resident in the district to challenge a library book.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania and several other anti-censorship groups criticized the policy for its broad language and potential to remove books from the school's libraries based on small excerpts some parents might find objectionable.
While turnout for Tuesday's meeting paled in comparison to the hundreds who gathered outside the district meeting room in Doylestown Township last month, a lot of the comments made by board members and three residents who spoke publicly mirrored concerns raised over the library policy.
Katherine Semisch, a retired Central Bucks English teacher, said the recent policies considered by the district were like using “a sledgehammer to smack a mosquito,” placating an incensed minority group in the community.
“You’re codifying subjective criteria that will lead to more division amongst us. If I were still in the classroom, I would take this policy to mean that teacher’s heads are on the chopping block and somebody’s looking to make examples,” Semisch said.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Central Bucks OKs textbook policy banning sexually explicit material
