The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce has moved ahead with House Resolution 7661, a bill that would prohibit federal education funds from being used in public school classrooms and school libraries alleged to have “sexually oriented materials” in their collections.
HR 7661—named the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act by its supporters—would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which is the primary source for federal aid and is meant to improve academic outcomes for disadvantaged students, including those at Title 1 schools.
After the committee markup of HR 7661 and other bills under consideration, chairman Tim Walberg of Michigan wrote, “Today’s committee action advances a strong package of commonsense reforms to protect students, taxpayers, and the integrity of our institutions.” He wrote that the bill, authored by Illinois congresswoman Mary Miller, will “safeguard children from inappropriate content in the classroom.”
In a March 18 response to HR 7661’s advancement, American Library Association president Sam Helmick challenged the “sweeping attempt to stifle students’ education and steal funds from the nation’s schools.”
Helmick wrote that “representatives from both sides of the aisle raised concerns about the vague, confusing, and overbroad language in the bill” and that “HR 7661 should not become the law of the land in a nation where people value civil rights and oppose government censorship.”
ALA urged advocates to call their representatives and to support the Right to Read Act, which was introduced in both the House and the Senate in December.
