INDIANAPOLIS – In the final hours of the state legislative session, Republican state lawmakers resurrected a much-debated ban on materials deemed “obscene “or “harmful to minors” in school and public libraries.
Both the Indiana House and Senate voted largely along party lines to allow library language to be inserted into House Bill 1447. The measure now heads to the governor for final consideration. The House tally was 70-27 and the Senate vote was 39-10.
The underlying bill addresses third-party surveys and evaluations given to K-12 students. The new provision was cobbled together behind closed doors earlier this week in a conference committee.
The bill requires school libraries to publicly post lists of books in their collection and create a formal grievance process for parents and community members who live in the district to object to certain materials in circulation.
As part of that process, school boards must review those challenges at their next public meeting. An appeals process must also be established if officials don’t agree with the request.
Language in the proposal also seeks to remove “educational purposes” as a reason that schools or district board members could claim legal protection for sharing “harmful material” with underage students. The charge is a felony.
Public libraries would not be affected, however, despite other proposals debated earlier in the session that would have expanded the language’s reach. Additionally, the bill only applies to public and charter schools, not private schools.
See the full story here.
