{"id":1993464,"date":"2023-08-07T17:55:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T21:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-library-director-resigns-after-parents-called-for-defunding-over-pornographic-childrens-books\/"},"modified":"2023-08-07T17:57:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T21:57:56","slug":"virginia-library-director-resigns-after-parents-called-for-defunding-over-pornographic-childrens-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-library-director-resigns-after-parents-called-for-defunding-over-pornographic-childrens-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Library Director resigns following parental demands to defund library due to &#8220;explicit&#8221; children&#8217;s books."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvirginia-library-director-resigns-after-parents-called-for-defunding-over-pornographic-childrens-books%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1993464&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Director of a Virginia Public Library Resigns Amid Controversy Over &#8220;Pornographic&#8221; Children&#8217;s Books<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The\u2063 director of the Samuels Library in Front Royal, northern Virginia, has resigned following demands\u2063 from outraged parents to defund\u2064 the\u2063 library due \u2063to the presence of what they consider &#8220;pornographic&#8221; children&#8217;s books.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Michelle Ross <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvdaily.com\/nvdaily\/samuels-library-director-resigns-amid-controversy-over-banning-books\/article_c838e016-a833-5e59-b426-6f1f94d3eccc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">resigned<\/a> as the library&#8217;s director, effective\u200c immediately, during\u200b an emergency meeting of the Samuels\u200b Public Library Board of\u2063 Trustees. The board accepted her resignation \u200cand expressed their support for her decision.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The board is 100 percent behind Michelle\u2019s decision. \u2062We understand that \u2062it\u2019s the best thing for her\u200c \u2014 her health and well-being. We wish her well,<\/strong> said Board of Trustees President Melody Hotek.<\/p>\n<p>The library board has appointed Eileen Grady, a 21-year veteran of\u2063 the library, as interim director and \u2062aims to find a permanent director within\u200d six months.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this summer,\u2062 a grassroots coalition called Clean\u200d Up\u200d Samuels, consisting of concerned parents and others, petitioned for the \u2062removal of several\u2062 objectionable books from\u200c the library&#8217;s\u2064 collection. They claim that dozens of these books\u200c are &#8220;pornographic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Clean Up Samuels\u200b has also demanded the replacement\u200b of the \u200dlibrary staff and board of trustees.<\/p>\n<p>On June 6, hundreds of parents and concerned individuals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/virginia-parents-call-to-defund-public-library-over-pornographic-childrens-books-at-county-board-meeting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">packed into<\/a> a Warren County Board\u200c of Supervisors \u200cmeeting to protest the controversial\u2063 children&#8217;s books. During the meeting, \u2063nearly three \u2062dozen speakers <a href=\"https:\/\/royalexaminer.com\/library-defunding-book-removal-advocates-samuels-library-defenders-clash-on-d-day-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">voiced their concerns<\/a> and called for defunding the library if \u2064the \u200c34 \u200d&#8221;pornographic&#8221; children&#8217;s books were not removed from the\u2064 shelves. Many\u2063 parents from the area&#8217;s strong Catholic community participated in the\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hot-mic-all-trustees-of-school-board-resign-after-mocking-parents-wanting-schools-reopened\/\" title=\"HOT MIC: All Trustees Of School Board Resign After Mocking Parents Wanting Schools Reopened\">public comment portion<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/warrencountyva.new.swagit.com\/videos\/233312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is not literature. This is smut,&#8221; \u2064expressed one\u200b Front Royal dad <a href=\"https:\/\/warrencountyva.new.swagit.com\/videos\/233312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to<\/a> the board, after\u2064 reading an excerpt about anal sex \u200dfrom a book titled &#8220;This Book Is Gay.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A concerned mother stated that &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-parents-call-to-defund-public-library-over-pornographic-childrens-books-at-county-board-meeting\/\" title=\"Virginia parents demand defunding of public library due to 'pornographic' children's books.\">sexually explicit content read<\/a> during the\u2063 wrong stage of development can do so much damage to a child&#8217;s psyche.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t know \u200cif you have children, but raising a family takes a village. The library should not be the enemy \u2062of the family, but \u200dits ally,&#8221; added the mom.<\/p>\n<p>While some speakers\u200d disagreed and \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/royalexaminer.com\/library-defunding-book-removal-advocates-samuels-library-defenders-clash-on-d-day-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called<\/a> for continued funding of \u200cthe\u200d library, even \u200cwith the controversial books on the shelves, \u200bthe \u2063Warren County Board of Supervisors responded \u2064to \u2063the parents&#8217; demands by\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvdaily.com\/nvdaily\/warren-supervisors-withhold-75-of-library-funding\/article_7f9038b3-46df-5179-a2b3-d85ef23e91bb.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">voting<\/a> to\u2062 withhold 75% of \u2062the library&#8217;s budget for the upcoming \u2062fiscal year until September. \u200cAt that time, the \u2063issue will\u2064 be\u2063 revisited.<\/p>\n<p>Delores Oates, a member\u2064 of the\u200b county board, stated that they would &#8220;continue to \u200bwork in good faith on policies that protect our children from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-library-director-resigns-after-parents-called-for-defunding-over-pornographic-childrens-books\/\" title=\"Virginia Library Director resigns following parental demands to defund library due to \"explicit\" children's books.\">sexually \u200cexplicit\u200c material<\/a> and ensure parents have control\u200d over their children&#8217;s reading choices.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We did \u2063not cut the budget. This action allows the library time to present \u2062its proposed policies \u200bto their board for approval\u200d and provides \u2062accountability for all of us to come to \u2064a resolution,&#8221; Oates explained.<\/p>\n<p>The Clean Up\u200c Samuels list of objectionable books <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/u\/1\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vRzUaZiy2h4gi-c_4vMb0ngZQHCSdgUaob5PfDqfsWmQomGeG7TlCq6GV9KwiaCdJx98c47MIkdtGgh\/pub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">includes<\/a> titles\u2064 such as &#8220;It&#8217;s Perfectly Normal,&#8221; &#8220;This Book Is Gay,&#8221;\u200b &#8220;This Is Why They Hate Us,&#8221; &#8220;Two\u200c Boys Kissing,&#8221; &#8220;She Gets The Girl,&#8221; &#8220;They Both Die At\u2063 The End,&#8221;\u2064 and &#8220;Anatomy Of\u2064 A Single Girl,&#8221; among others.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The group has three demands:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remove the &#8220;pornographic&#8221; books from the children&#8217;s section.<\/li>\n<li>Cut ties \u200bwith \u2062the American Library \u2063Association and change library policy to acquire\u200d only age-appropriate materials, with accountability\u200b for \u2064library personnel who violate the policy.<\/li>\n<li>Replace the\u2063 current library leadership, who they \u200dbelieve have &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-exposes-how-fbi-violated-public-trust-over-278k-times-completely-unacceptable\/\" title=\"FBI violated public trust 278K times, report reveals - 'Unacceptable'\">violated public trust<\/a>.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before her resignation, \u2064Ross mentioned that 134 titles were under review, some of which were on the Clean Up Samuels list.<\/p>\n<p>In the\u2062 meantime, the library has taken \u2062several smaller steps to address\u200b parents&#8217; concerns. Last month, the library <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvdaily.com\/nvdaily\/samuels-library-director-resigns-amid-controversy-over-banning-books\/article_c838e016-a833-5e59-b426-6f1f94d3eccc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> the introduction of \u200dnew library cards that allow parents to restrict \u2064their children&#8217;s access to specific sections. They\u2062 have also created a &#8220;new adult&#8221; section for readers aged\u200d 16 and up.<\/p>\n<p>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\u200b is also the headquarters of Seton \u200bHome Study School, a Catholic-accredited homeschool distance\u200c school \u2064that enrolls \u200cthousands\u200d of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parents-sue-pennsylvania-school-district-for-barring-parochial-students-from-extracurriculars\/\" title=\"Parents sue PA school district for excluding parochial students from extracurricular activities.\">homeschool \u200cstudents<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michelle Ross, the director of Samuels Library in Front Royal, Virginia, has stepped down amidst parental outcry demanding defunding due to alleged &#8220;pornographic&#8221; children&#8217;s books. Ross&#8217;s resignation was immediate, announced during an emergency meeting of the Samuels Public Library Board.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":1993465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1993464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1993464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1993465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1993464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1993464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1993464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}