It's NOT Working, Part 1. Sexually explicit and pornographic books in Polk County Public Schools

This is the first post in what will be an ongoing series about the continuing saga of age-inappropriate books in the Polk County Public Schools.

It was recently said by a Polk County School Board Member that "The all call that went out tonight to read books [at the school board meeting] that are currently being challenged didn't bring many people out because people realize that is CHAOS, and our students deserve better. We have a system for the books to follow and I think people are following it. We've got a great list, and that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna follow policies and procedures.”

So, I ask you, are the current policies and procedures working? Spoiler alert, NO, they are not. We can all agree that the children deserve better, but this particular Board Member misses the point. No reasonable adult wants to spend a Tuesday evening at a School Board Meeting waiting for their three minutes to read a graphic depiction of a rape from a book found in several Polk County School Libraries. But the reading is not CHAOS. That statement is meant to distract from the bigger problem. We will not be distracted. The real, and ONLY, issue is "WHY ARE THESE BOOKS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY AT ALL?" These books are PAID for by every taxpayer in Polk County. YOU are funding this. Why has the School Board and Superintendent taken NO action when it is obvious to any citizen with any working mental capacity that books with graphic sex, rape, and violence are not appropriate to be available in a public school library for minor children? If a parent, for some reason, actually WANTS their child to read this type of material, they can easily purchase it for them from Amazon, Thriftbooks, or any other book retailer.

We are asking the Board to revise the book review/challenge policies and procedures. The current ones ARE NOT WORKING! These procedures were created prior to July 1st of 2023, when new laws went into effect. I can tell you that we do have some great Board members who ARE willing to protect our children. We need four members to stand up and protect the minor children of Polk County.

From the quote earlier in this post: "We've got a great list, and that's what we're gonna do."  How is that working out for our children?

To date, Polk County has not removed ANY challenged books, including those featuring content that includes graphic rape, pedophilia, and bestiality which are clearly in violation of Florida State Statute 847.012.

ZERO.

CERO.

ZIP.

NADA.

零 (LING.)

NONE.

How does Polk County Public Schools compare to other public schools in our state?

As of August, 2023:

Clay County has removed 177 sexually inappropriate books.

Martin County has removed 98 out of 110 challenged books.

Manatee County has removed 25 of 43.

Indian River County has removed 34.

Osceola County has removed 21 books which, incidentally, are ALL currently in our Polk County Public School libraries.

Flagler County has removed 11.

Escambia has removed 9.

Marion County has removed 6.

Broward and Brevard have each removed 3.

Polk County? ZERO.

"We've got a great list, and that's what we're gonna do." IT'S NOT WORKING!

So, what is in the books in the Polk County Public School libraries? Stay tuned, a lot of vital information will be coming.

Next Post: The LIE that is called "Book Banning"