I’m writing with a simple question. To which government agency should we teachers report students in possession of pornographic materials (such as Margaret Atwood or Sarah J. Maas’s books) on school property?
Those students might be displaying these indecent materials openly, or they might have them hidden in their backpacks or lockers.
What’s the proper procedure for seizing their reading materials? Should we alert parents that they’ve been caught with pornography on campus? Should we post a list in the entry hallway of students who aren’t allowed to carry bags that might hide additional contraband? Have we created an office of enforcement yet to handle violators of last year’s legislation?
If I know a fellow teacher is reading one of these books, to whom should I report them? Do our police departments yet have Reading Compliance Officers assigned to these cases? Once we seize the illegal books, should we burn them publicly, or will destroying them privately suffice?
If we’ll be destroying them in the public square, could we do it after school hours so that everyone might attend to see the example set for the others?
If students gather in secret groups to discuss and share this literature, do we have a plan for handling that eventuality?
I suppose I’ve expressed more than one question, but it comes down to the one: Assuming full teacher compliance with the law, how will we punish our children, and how might we discourage other children from seeking out this banned literature?
Let me know, OK?
Steve Capone, Jr., Cottonwood Heights
