Virginia Library Director resigns following parental demands to defund library due to “explicit” children’s books.
The Director of a Virginia Public Library Resigns Amid Controversy Over “Pornographic” Children’s Books
The director of the Samuels Library in Front Royal, northern Virginia, has resigned following demands from outraged parents to defund the library due to the presence of what they consider “pornographic” children’s books.
Michelle Ross resigned as the library’s director, effective immediately, during an emergency meeting of the Samuels Public Library Board of Trustees. The board accepted her resignation and expressed their support for her decision.
The board is 100 percent behind Michelle’s decision. We understand that it’s the best thing for her — her health and well-being. We wish her well, said Board of Trustees President Melody Hotek.
The library board has appointed Eileen Grady, a 21-year veteran of the library, as interim director and aims to find a permanent director within six months.
Earlier this summer, a grassroots coalition called Clean Up Samuels, consisting of concerned parents and others, petitioned for the removal of several objectionable books from the library’s collection. They claim that dozens of these books are “pornographic.”
Clean Up Samuels has also demanded the replacement of the library staff and board of trustees.
On June 6, hundreds of parents and concerned individuals packed into a Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting to protest the controversial children’s books. During the meeting, nearly three dozen speakers voiced their concerns and called for defunding the library if the 34 ”pornographic” children’s books were not removed from the shelves. Many parents from the area’s strong Catholic community participated in the public comment portion of the meeting.
“This is not literature. This is smut,” expressed one Front Royal dad to the board, after reading an excerpt about anal sex from a book titled “This Book Is Gay.”
A concerned mother stated that “sexually explicit content read during the wrong stage of development can do so much damage to a child’s psyche.”
“I don’t know if you have children, but raising a family takes a village. The library should not be the enemy of the family, but its ally,” added the mom.
While some speakers disagreed and called for continued funding of the library, even with the controversial books on the shelves, the Warren County Board of Supervisors responded to the parents’ demands by voting to withhold 75% of the library’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year until September. At that time, the issue will be revisited.
Delores Oates, a member of the county board, stated that they would “continue to work in good faith on policies that protect our children from sexually explicit material and ensure parents have control over their children’s reading choices.”
“We did not cut the budget. This action allows the library time to present its proposed policies to their board for approval and provides accountability for all of us to come to a resolution,” Oates explained.
The Clean Up Samuels list of objectionable books includes titles such as “It’s Perfectly Normal,” “This Book Is Gay,” “This Is Why They Hate Us,” “Two Boys Kissing,” “She Gets The Girl,” “They Both Die At The End,” and “Anatomy Of A Single Girl,” among others.
The group has three demands:
- Remove the “pornographic” books from the children’s section.
- Cut ties with the American Library Association and change library policy to acquire only age-appropriate materials, with accountability for library personnel who violate the policy.
- Replace the current library leadership, who they believe have “violated public trust.”
Before her resignation, Ross mentioned that 134 titles were under review, some of which were on the Clean Up Samuels list.
In the meantime, the library has taken several smaller steps to address parents’ concerns. Last month, the library announced the introduction of new library cards that allow parents to restrict their children’s access to specific sections. They have also created a “new adult” section for readers aged 16 and up.
Front Royal is home to Christendom College, a small Catholic liberal arts school. Many graduates choose to stay in the area and start families. The town is also the headquarters of Seton Home Study School, a Catholic-accredited homeschool distance school that enrolls thousands of homeschool students.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
