The new Media Resource Selection and Review Policy of Wicomico County Public Schools does not effectively safeguard children from accessing inappropriate materials. It introduces a flawed provision where a parent can flag a book to prevent their child from checking it out at the media center. However, this measure gives a false sense of parental control as children can still access any book regardless of parental intervention. The policy lacks safeguards to prevent a child from viewing obscene content within the school media center.
During the March 10, 2024, Legislative County Council meeting, Wicomico Public School officials, including board chair Gene Malone and superintendent Micah Stauffer, openly acknowledged that children have unrestricted access to books beyond parental supervision. This admission underscores the lack of effective measures to restrict children’s access to inappropriate materials.
Instances of books containing explicit content, such as sex acts, sex toys, bestiality, glorified drug use, and orgies, are available to children as young as 11 years old in Wicomico schools. Despite concerns raised, the school board has failed to define “appropriate” content and address the acquisition and presence of obscene materials in school libraries.
To express your views on the school board’s negligent policies exposing minors to offensive material and limiting resident-taxpayer involvement in local governance, you can contact the board members at the following email addresses: co******@***OE.org, gm*****@***oe.org, ab****@***oe.org, kh****@***oe.org, be****@***oe.org, sb*******@***oe.org, dp*****@***oe.org, jp*****@***oe.org, wc***@*********tc.org.
