Mayor Craig Shubert of Hudson, Ohio, sat in front of a microphone and he issued a choice to the members of the school board. They could either resign by the end of September or face child pornography charges.
Shubert said:
“It has come to my attention that your educators are distributing essentially what is child pornography in the classroom. I’ve spoken to a judge this evening. She’s already confirmed that. So I’m going to give you a simple choice: Either you choose to resign from this board of education, or you will be charged. Thank you.”
BREAKING: Hudson mayor demands all school board members resign or face possible criminal charges over high school course material that he said a judge called "child pornography."
“I'm going to give you a simple choice: You either choose to resign or you will be charged." pic.twitter.com/guhp0zc0ns
— Jenny Beth Martin (@jennybethm) September 14, 2021
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, numerous parents complained about writing prompts in the “642 Things to Write About”. The book is actually for colleges and not high schools.
More from the paper:
Parents said there was a prompt that asked students to “write a sex scene you wouldn’t show your mom,” and another which said “rewrite the sex scene from above into one that you’d let your mom read.”
Another prompt asked students to drink a beer and describe how it tastes. Parents said they felt these writing prompts and others were not appropriate for high school students.
The paper questioned whether the school board can be held accountable for the material used in class or not. Did the school board approve of using the textbook? Or are they responsible for hiring the principal who allowed the book to be used? These questions would need to be answered before you decide where to lay the blame. The book is definitely offensive and has no place in any high school in the country.
“We’ve never heard of criminal charges [filed against a school board] for curriculum,” Ralph Lusher, staff attorney with the Ohio School Boards Association, told the Beacon Journal.
But some individuals who have viewed the material were decidedly outraged by it. One person said he was “appalled” by the content and asked for video cameras in the classroom so parents can monitor what’s being taught to their children, the Beacon Journal said, adding that another speaker said it’s “disgusting” and amounted to “grooming.”
“The district immediately determined this writing resource should not be in the hands of our students, and on Monday, collected the books from the students enrolled in the course,” Herman added, according to the Beacon Journal. “It is important to note that at no time were any of these inappropriate writing prompts assigned as part of the class.”
