By Devyn Lyon, Fox23 News
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers are advancing multiple efforts at the State Capitol aimed at removing sexually explicit material from public school libraries.
Two bills moving through the Legislature this week would place new restrictions on what books can be available to students and create a system for reporting and reviewing potentially inappropriate materials.
Both measures have passed their respective chambers and now head to the opposite side of the Legislature for further consideration.
One of the proposals, House Bill 2978, would prohibit public school libraries from including books that contain sexually explicit conduct or obscene material.
The bill’s author, Chris Banning, R-Bixby, said the legislation is meant to ensure inappropriate material is not accessible to minors in schools.
Banning told our news partners at FOX23 he discovered books with explicit content in school libraries and said some administrators were unaware the materials had been on shelves for years.
“It’s illegal to hand it to them in a park, but yet they can go look at it in schools,” Banning said. “It’s not about banning books, it’s about book boundaries.”
Banning said he has been working on legislation addressing the issue since he was elected.
A second measure, Senate Bill 1250, passed the Senate floor and would create a statewide system for reporting, reviewing, and penalizing schools over materials considered obscene.
The bill would require schools to maintain policies for reviewing library materials and responding to complaints.
The proposals sparked debate among lawmakers about who should determine what materials belong in school libraries.
During floor discussion, Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, questioned how the legislation would apply to religious texts, referencing a verse in the Bible.
Banning argued his bill focuses specifically on depictions or descriptions of sexual acts, which he said would not apply in that case.
Meanwhile, John Waldron, D-Tulsa, said school districts already rely on professional librarians and local school boards to manage library collections.
“We have professional librarians with master’s degrees maintaining content in our libraries,” Waldron said. “We should trust them more and let them do their jobs.”
Some Democratic lawmakers also criticized the proposals as unnecessary and politically motivated.
Lawmakers say the proposed restrictions would not apply to instructional materials used in Advanced Placement courses or sex education classes.
Both bills must still pass the opposite chamber before they can head to the governor’s desk.
Read the full legislation below:
