Efforts to remove pornography from the government schools continue but viewpoints on how the process is working vary.

At least one Duval County School Board member is pleased, citing as one reason that media specialists are identifying bad books even before they are challenged.

But an effort to review school library books by recruiting people to examine and identify those that do not seem to conform with Florida law has not yet chalked up much success.

To date, 46 books have been challenged by the group, according to a spokesman.

On the district’s website, it says: “As required by state law, Duval County Public Schools certified media specialists review all books in school media centers and classroom libraries.” 

As of Aug. 14, there were 59 titles on the list of those found unsuitable.

The model for cleaning up libraries is Clay County, where a single crusader has managed to get more than 1,000 inappropriate books removed from school libraries.

It seems highly unlikely that Clay, a smaller county, would have hundreds of inappropriate books while Duval had almost none.

Duval has a conservative majority on its School Board. They have tried to get the ball rolling. Something is holding the ball in place.

Challenges from outside the system run through a committee of volunteers who follow policy set by the board last year.

The board’s policy allows delay in Duval’s review process. But it may not be the board’s fault. It can’t seem to write a policy directing the bureaucracy to do what the board wants, in timely fashion. Instead, lawyers and bureaucrats interpret what the board says it wants and the interpretation can be like translating English into Chinese.

It is comparable to Congress passing laws that then are massaged by the Deep State into an unworkable mess.

Board Member Reggie Blount told Eye on Jacksonville that he is not 100 percent satisfied but thinks the staff is doing a better and is “making waves.”

Blount said the board policy is the culprit. It needs more work, especially on the composition and operation of the book review committee, he said.

One possible reason the process is not turning up inappropriate books like Clay County has could be that district personnel have quietly removed such books in advance. If that were the case, it would at least mean movement toward the desired outcome.

It is irrelevant whether the board policy or a stubborn bureaucracy is the cause of the slow pace. The elected board is in charge and should correct the problem by insisting on timely action without arbitrary delay.

They hire the superintendent and the superintendent should be able to control the staff.

It isn’t just a local issue.  The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ has ruled that an Arkansas law restricting minors’ access to “harmful” library material is indeed constitutional. Based on the law, Arkansas librarians who promote sexually explicit content to minors may face criminal charges. 

Let those who insist upon porn for 8-year-old children go to the courts to pursue their interests and continue to rail about imaginary “book bans” but get the process moving and bring Duval County into compliance with both the law and the wishes of parents.

Government schools across the nation are fighting this battle because most people favor age restrictions on books. At least 85% believe that books can be inappropriate for young children. Even more (90%) say that sexually explicit content has no place in school libraries,

Do what is right for the children.