CONFIRMED: ROCKWOOD LIBRARIANS ARE REVIEWING BOOKS TO REMOVE ANY WITH IMAGES OF EXPLICIT SEX

This action is due to a new law, revised statute 573.550, that takes effect in 13 days and makes it a crime for schools to provide images to students that show explicit sex.

Rockwood administrator Dr. Shelley Willott confirmed the review in an email reply this morning. Willott said any books that reflect what is outlined in the law (currently known as Senate Bill 775) will be removed and the titles will be posted on Rockwood's website.

That means parents will know what, if any, books have been removed. 

We asked when they would post the titles of any books they removed. Update: Willott said they will be on the website by the 28th, which is when the law goes into effect.

Willott is the administrator in charge of the book challenges that took place in Rockwood last school year, due to parent concerns that the books contain inappropriate content. A committee reviewed one book likely to be removed ("Gender Queer: A Memoir") and decided that it should stay in Rockwood's libraries. 

Note: The new law only covers images; not written words. 

For more information on the books that will likely be affected, see our previous post: Books with images showing explicit sex