We have a newly elected school board in Wicomico County that makes up the majority of the board. However, no priority has been given to the sexually explicit materials used in our schools. In fact, amendments have been recently made to the Selection and Review of Textbooks, Instructional Materials, and Media Materials Policy INS-SCH-PL-008 at the last board meeting held on May 9, 2023. All members voted AYE to add provisions that now open the door for such materials. In this policy, the board surrendered their full authority to the superintendent and media specialists, permitting full control over the book and media selection. Now, anything goes.
The initial ordering of books is now easier than ever. However, there is a lengthy procedure to request the removal of an inappropriate book if a parent were to file a complaint. This procedure results in a dead-end denial 99.9% of the time, and it's by design.
The past and current board have failed to define "appropriate." Therefore, the term has been crafted into a gray area in order to be elusive. What is the unit of measure to determine appropriate? It all comes down to an individual's perception centered on their own personal desires, who then apply those desires to define what's appropriate for the environment. It then becomes a liberal/conservative battle over the word appropriate when it comes to morality. In the end, the individuals who are ultimately responsible are our elected board members.
"Book burners," the liberals declare! "The Nazis burned books in Germany and that did not end well," and "your just targeting LGBTQ books written by black authors...you're a bigoted racist" are the common phrases that they all say. They all regurgitate the same play card and statements like broken records in order to vilify parents and advance their political agenda in order to groom minor children for their own deviant sexual desires. Nobody is out to ban or censor books in the library. It's about what's appropriate and necessary for a school environment to properly and responsibly educate our children without a political or sexual agenda.
Are sexually-explicit materials really necessary in order to educate our children?
The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sex Abuse published The Impact of Exposure to Sexually Explicit and Exploitative Materials that explains the facts for prevention of child sex abuse and exploitation. The link above explains how exposure causes long-term emotional damage and negative behavioral issues.
For those critics out there who favor such materials in our school, we have news for you. The school media center is not a public library. It is a classroom where students are taught, and materials are integrated into the curriculum as indicated in the WCPS School Library Media Handbook.
WCPS School Media Library Handbook page 4.
If a parent desires that type of material for their child, they can take them to the public library or to a bookstore.
Meanwhile, none of these critics care to ask how these books got there in the first place, while ignoring the school district's mission statement, school policies, procurement procedures, and the fact that they bypassed all screening methods that were already in place. In other words, there are many books that entered the school system illegitimately, yet require a formal process to remove them. How can that be? The school system breaks the rules to get a book in, then we must follow the rules to get a book out that shouldn't have been there in the first place. They don't even follow their own rules.
Many of these books have been brought in by liberal-activist librarians, English Language Arts teachers, department heads, teachers' union, and some books even gifted by activist organizations. It's a political agenda to desensitize, indoctrinate, and sexually groom your children. These books will usually display an interest level as "Young Adult" which is for age 18+ and will commonly have a gold or silver seal award on the cover to deceive the audience to think that "it must be good." They are giving these books to minors and commonly featured in the school media centers. Take a look of just a few found in Wicomico County Public Schools. The videos are from people from other school systems reading excerpts from the books with the evidence of each book in Wicomico schools below each video window:
ADVISORY WARNING - YOU MAY WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN UNDER 18 LEAVE THE ROOM
BEYOND MAGENTA
Beyond Magenta is a book available to 11 -year-olds that glorifies 6-year-old boys performing oral sex on pedophiles (Wicomico middle and high schools). Complete excerpts can be found here.
HEARTSTOPPER
An 11-year old from a different school system reads excerpts from a series called Heartstopper found in our middle and high schools. Complete excerpts can be found here.
ME EARL & THE DYING GIRL
Available to 11-year-olds and in Wicomico middle and high schools. Complete excerpts could be found here.
GENDER QUEER
Available to 11-year-olds in Wicomico middle schools and high schools. A father from a different school reads excerpts from the book. Complete excerpts can be found here.
MONDAY'S NOT COMING & MURDER TRENDING
Complete excerpts can be found here.
A word from Wicomico at large board member Bonnie Ennis on banning books:
As for our teachers, administrators, faculty, adults, parents, churches, donors, community partners, elected officials, or anyone that partakes, or turns a blind eye in the sexual grooming of our children, this Word is for you:
Matthew 18:6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
As for the "Faith-Based Partners" of Wicomico County Public Schools, where are you? Do you glory in your good works and ignore what is before you? We have reached out to you with the truth of all of this, and yet you have continually remained silent. In addition, the Superintendent of Wicomico County Public Schools who has allowed and protected these materials is married to the pastor of Emmanuel Wesleyan Church Fruitland Campus.
In conclusion, it is up to the parents and citizens to wake up and express their concerns in writing, by calling, and showing up at school board meetings to make a public comment. You can also sign our petition. Our future is at stake. Denial, excuses, or remaining silent will not make this go away, and it's only getting worse due to your silence. If you really love your child, you would immediately remove them from public school: How To Exit Public School. It is up to you to stand up.
WCBOE Board Members
Gene Malone - (443) 783-5530 gmalone@wcboe.org
Allen Brown - (410) 742-9668 abrown@wcboe.org
Kristin Hazel - (443) 366-4344 khazel@wcboe.org
Bonnie Ennis - (443) 783-1617 bennis@wcboe.org
Susan Beauchamp - (443) 235-2569 sbeaucham@wcboe.org
David Plotts - (443) 880-0502 dplotts@wcboe.org
John Palmer - (410) 896-3670 jpalmer@wcboe.org
Fellows & Editors
May 17, 2023 - Copyright DelmarvaPTC.org
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DISCLAIMER:
The Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition was formed in response to sexually related books and instructional materials in public schools that are emotionally, mentally, and physically harmful to children, as evidenced by rising rates of depression and other psychological disorders. The content of said materials ranges from explicit to inexplicit sexual activities including but not limited to rape, incest, and hook up dating.
We support lawful efforts to expose the obscene books and materials currently available and used in Maryland public schools. Our goal is to alert parents to the sexual content and potential harm to their children; in the process we aim to avoid exposing children to obscene content or to breaking any laws. We support the efforts of other groups advocating for change in the policy and integration of appropriate books for minors. We also support efforts to strengthen the security at all schools. We do not support trespassing or distributing materials with sexual content.