Mayor demands Utah school board remove more than 100 books containing ‘pornographic’ ‘filth’ from school libraries

On Tuesday, a Utah mayor demanded that a Riverton school board take action to protect children by removing more than 100 books containing "pornographic" "filth" from the district's school libraries.

Riverton, Utah, Mayor Trent Staggs addressed the Jordan School District about "inappropriate materials and pornographic materials" in school libraries during a Tuesday school board meeting.

Staggs, elected to his second term in January 2022, told the board that the issue has become "pretty alarming," with "scores of residents" reaching out about the inappropriate books.

"I've heard from scores of residents about the concerns of inappropriate materials in schools. I received emails, phone calls, to a large extent, I need to tell you they feel like they are not being heard," the mayor stated.

Staggs noted that the city council had already emailed the school board in September regarding the issue but that the two parties still had yet to meet.

"At the end of the day, this filth needs to be removed from our schools. There's over one hundred volumes that one parent organization has put together. A hundred volumes still in Jordan School Districts that clearly violate the law," Staggs added.

The mayor argued that there is "no justifiable reason" for pornographic books to be on school library shelves.

"There's absolutely no educational value," Staggs argued. "There is so much out there that talks about how toxic this is and the effects that it has on kids long-term."

He accused the school board of failing to urgently address the issue.

"I do not want another school year to go by with these volumes still at the disposal of kids. It's within your power to set policy," Staggs continued.

According to the mayor, the district's current policy for removing inappropriate materials requires the books to be reported at each school. Staggs explained that when a book is deemed inappropriate for students at one school, it should be removed district-wide.

"No parents should have to worry when sending their children to school. No child should be made to feel uncomfortable with content that's not even allowed on the evening news," the mayor said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. "As elected officials, we have a duty to protect our most vulnerable and make sure parents can rest easy knowing their children are receiving a good education free from indoctrination or harm."

A Jordan School District spokesperson told Crisis in the Classroom that it recently revised its book review policy.

"We follow this policy when reviewing, approving, or removing materials or books in our schools," the spokesperson stated. "Our schools are a place where all are free to learn in a safe, welcoming environment. Student safety, health, and wellness is our top priority."

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