The Carroll County Board of Education is poised to vote on a proposed policy change this Wednesday, aimed at safeguarding students from exposure to sexually explicit content in library books and instructional materials. This response comes in the wake of reports from parents across the county who have identified over 50 books in public school libraries containing graphic sexual content.

During its Oct 11th meeting, the board unanimously passed a resolution, instructing staff to review the policy concerning the “selection, evaluation, and adoption of instructional materials.” 

Board of Education President Marsha Herbert stressed the importance of discussing the addition of language to the instructional materials.  She believed that engaging in this discussion would provide the much-needed clarity sought by the school community concerning inappropriate sexual content in books and instructional materials.

“We just need a clear, concise definition,” stated Herbert.

Subsequently, the public was invited to share their thoughts on these revisions during a 30-day comment period, concluding with the Dec 13th meeting. In the upcoming Wednesday meeting, the five-member school board will vote on whether to adopt the proposed policy changes.

Anyone who wishes to voice support of the policy can fill out the online form at https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=FhEpcaZxr0GbpZtpycs_RkwM1tqvgrNMmsQsVquLvgtUMDEzUUJWQVhKWFM4WERIVU5HUFRRQlUzMiQlQCN0PWcu