Riverton, Utah Mayor Trent Staggs is urging the Jordan School District to take action and eliminate over 100 books considered to contain “pornographic” and “filthy” content from school libraries, according to a report from The Blaze.
During a school board meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Staggs addressed his concerns about “inappropriate materials and pornographic materials” available to students in the district’s libraries.
Staggs, who was elected to his second term in January 2022, informed the board that the issue has grown “pretty alarming” and that “scores of residents” have voiced their concerns regarding the inappropriate books.
“I’ve heard from scores of residents about the concerns of inappropriate materials in schools. I received emails, phone calls, to a large extent, I need to tell you they feel like they are not being heard,” the mayor said.
According to Staggs, the city council had already emailed the school board in September about the issue, but the two parties had not yet met.
“At the end of the day, this filth needs to be removed from our schools. There’s over one hundred volumes that one parent organization has put together. A hundred volumes still in Jordan School Districts that clearly violate the law,” Staggs continued.
The mayor emphasized that there is “no justifiable reason” for pornographic books to be on school library shelves.
“There’s absolutely no educational value,” Staggs argued. “There is so much out there that talks about how toxic this is and the effects that it has on kids long-term.”
The mayor accused the school board of not addressing the issue with the urgency it deserves.
“I do not want another school year to go by with these volumes still at the disposal of kids. It’s within your power to set policy,” he said.
The Riverton city leader mentioned that the district’s current policy for removing inappropriate materials requires reporting the books at each school.
He suggested that when a book is deemed inappropriate for students at one school, it should be removed from all schools in the district.
A spokesperson for the Jordan School District informed Crisis in the Classroom that the district recently revised its book review policy.
“We follow this policy when reviewing, approving, or removing materials or books in our schools,” the spokesperson said, adding, “Our schools are a place where all are free to learn in a safe, welcoming environment. Student safety, health, and wellness is our top priority.”
