Numerous children within our community have been negatively impacted by sexually explicit content found within the Platteville Middle School library. As a united community, we stand with teachers and parents who request age-appropriate and diverse literature for our 9-14 year olds. 

Some excerpts:
“He reached his hand down and pulled out my dick. He quickly went to giving me head. I just sat back and enjoyed it as I could tell he was, too. He was also definitely experienced… I didn’t want to let him know I was inexperienced. So, I slowed down and took my time and luckily got into a good rhythm. He didn’t know I was a virgin, and I did my best to act dominant like my favorite porn star.” All Boys Aren’t Blue by G. Johnson contains three very graphic autobiographical accounts of sexual acts that are detailed on many pages. Amazon.com and the Madison Public Library system ranks this book as age 16+.

“Earl, I’m going to eat her pussy.” “Do you even know how to eat pussy?” ”Uh, not really.” “Papa Gaines never sat you down, said, Son, one day you’re gonna have to eat the pussy.” “No, but he did teach me how to eat a butthole.” This is an excerpt from Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, which would be excellent for middle schoolers if it wasn't sprinkled with hundreds of cuss words, references to titties, donkey dicks, masturbating on another child's pillows, and other obscene imagery. Amazon and Madison Public libraries rank this as "Young Adult," which means 14+.

One more example is from a puberty book: It’s Perfectly Normal. “Kids, teenagers, and grown-ups experience sexy feelings when they masturbate… A girl often rubs her clitoris [diagram of where clitoris is]; a boy often rubs his penis… it feels tingly, warm, and sexy… Often when people masturbate, they daydream about something sexy… get excited just by looking at sexy pictures or fantasizing.” In another chapter it says, “When a person puts his or her mouth on a female’s vulva or on a male’s penis, this is called oral sex. When a male’s penis goes inside another person’s anus, this is called anal sex.” The book talks about “sexy relationships” and says, “Sometimes as kids are growing up...they may look at or even touch each other’s bodies. This is a normal kind of exploring.” “Sex is a perfectly normal part of life.” (Keep in mind this book is made for 10-year-olds.) Sexual acts are described as “fun, exciting, tingly, wet, warm, feeling good on the outside and inside, climactic, relaxing, satisfying, rhythmic, enjoyable, pleasurable, a special kind of sharing” and more.
"When the clitoris is touched and rubbed, a female’s body feels good on both the outside and inside. It feels tingly, kind of warm and nice. It feels sexy… People of all ages masturbate– babies, kids, grown-ups, and the elderly. Girls and boys often start to masturbate at puberty, but many start before.” 

I’m sorry to have to expose you to those details. What more do you need to know? Please consider signing the petition. If you prefer, you can opt to keep your name off the public page by checking the box. 

To see images from the actual books, what the book committee is saying, and a timeline of events, please click on the “information folder.”  Update: several local news outlets (tv and print) will not post the content because it violates regulations. Secondly, the school board has voted and will keep these materials in the Middle School. Some are still on "recommended reading" lists. "All Boys Aren't Blue," however, will now be placed on inter-school loan with the high school.
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The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says, “Studies reveal a correlation between exposure to explicit material and an increased likelihood of childhood mental illness, anxiety, depression, and early sexual activity.” While we acknowledge the importance of sexual education, it should be done under controlled, age-appropriate circumstances, not through explicit material readily accessible to kids. 

Lastly, if an individual gives these materials to a middle schooler without parental consent, they violate “Harmful to Minors Law.” The law states that what is considered “obscene” varies depending on the age of the viewer. Harmful to minors laws includes “descriptions or narrative accounts of sexually explicit conduct or sexual excitement, offensive materials based on the community's standards for minors, and obscene materials.” Do these texts seem to violate the Harmful to Minors Law? If a teacher were to gift these titles to a student, the teacher would be in legal trouble. School libraries, however, are not held liable for what kids read. We in Platteville urge the school to place these materials in the age-appropriate location: the High School. We also suggest replacing these materials with diverse, thought-provoking titles that won’t expose or encourage students to engage in sexual behavior. This would help restore trust within our community. We’re proud of our exceptional teachers, and it’s important that the school maintains strong connections with our community.

This petition aims to prove that our “community’s standards” do not include this content for Middle School children, even if there are valuable themes in them. For anyone who would like to read these: they are certainly available at the public library and at the high school. We’re not trying to follow South Carolina (whose board of education voted unanimously to remove many of these titles from all K-12 schools.) We’re simply focused on the middle school age.

We ask the school administrators to prioritize our children's well-being and take prompt action. Local and national psychologists and physicians agree that these materials are more harmful than helpful at the middle school level. We urge administrators to re-home the sexually explicit materials.

As taxpayers within the Platteville School District, you have a voice in where your tax dollars are spent. Please consider signing this petition.

Sincerely,
A group of local parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends

Summary of HOW you can help:
1) Sign this petition (and the second petition below)
2) Mark your calendar and VOTE on or before April 1 for school board members who will take action.
3) Email the school board with your thoughts. Email rooster3488@gmail.com if you have questions for me.
4) Pass this info on!  Yes, even teachers are signing this petition. Thank you for your boldness and love for all the kids!

We made two petitions. READ our SECOND PETITON ABOUT CLUBS & TRANSPARENCY. Do you think parents should know what clubs their child is attending at the middle school level?