A bill that would ban sexually explicit materials from public school libraries was fast-tracked through the North Carolina House this week. The measure, House Bill 636, passed that chamber in a 63-46 vote.
“Since the beginning of our country, we have recognized the importance of protecting the innocence of children, and that’s what this bill is all about,” said state Rep. Neal Jackson, R-Moore, a primary sponsor of HB 636.
The bill would direct local public school units to adopt policies for reviewing library media to ensure it is age-appropriate, has literary value, and complies with laws like the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
The bill directs for the creation of a community library advisory committee, composed of parents and school personnel, to review materials. Parents, guardians, or residents could file lawsuits against school districts for violations, with damages up to $5,000 per violation, plus attorney fees.
The measure also directs the State Board of Education to maintain a publicly accessible database of library media rejected by local school units.
State Rep. Amos Quick, D-Guilford, offered an amendment to eliminate the 10-person library advisory committee and instead give authority to the local superintendent. Jackson countered that removing parental involvement would place additional burdens on superintendents and reduced one of the intended goals of the bill — to better engage parents. The amendment failed in a 57-49 vote.
The debate soon got heated on the House floor, as Republicans and Democrats crossed swords over the wording of the bill and its implications.
“We trust parents. We trust school boards. We trust superintendents,” said Jackson. “If you want your children to look at pornography or inappropriate stuff, order it off Amazon or go to the public library. We’re not saying you can’t do that. We’re saying, when it comes to the school library, we don’t want it here. Very simply.”
House minority leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, called the tone of the debate offensive, saying, “Who, in God’s green earth, thinks that there’s somebody here who wants their kid looking at pornography? That is a very tacky and cheap shot at way to try to push this bill.”
“I want to protect children as much as you do, and today, let’s protect it with safe gun laws, but not banning books,” added state Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham.
State Rep. John Blust, R-Guilford, criticized the use of “toxic language” by Democrats, like “book ban,” which he said misleads the public and stirs unnecessary outrage. “It’s a parent’s responsibility, and I think everybody here agrees to that — that’s who should be in charge of what their child sees,” he said.
“There was a time when we all agreed that sexually explicit material should be out of the line of sight and reach of children,” added state Rep. Brian Echevarria, R-Cabarrus. “Once this material is read or seen, if it is sexually explicit, it may be too late as a parent to clean it up.”
State Rep. Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg, argued against the proposed bill, emphasizing its potential to lead to censorship and suppression of intellectual freedom, academic freedom, and freedom of thought.
“Reading allows children to explore topics and subjects that are really, really difficult to grapple with — death, violence, grief, how to handle friendships, romantic relationships, and more,” Budd said. “This idea that you are going to protect by isolating and removing access to education and information — you’re not protecting. You’re setting them up for even more difficult scenarios down the line.”
All Republicans in the chamber voted for the bill except Rep. Todd Carver of Iredell County. Rep. Garland Pierce of Scotland County was the only Democrat to vote for the bill. Carver’s vote would be needed, plus Pierce’s, in order to override a veto from Gov. Josh Stein.