VIEWPOINT | No more tax dollars for pornographic libraries

Guest column by Amy Bruner

It has been a couple of years since I’ve written here about the issue of sexually explicit books in our public school libraries. Sadly, not much has changed, despite parents statewide expressing ongoing and serious concern about what our government is making available to our children.

We are well past being able to deny that the government is making sexually explicit books available to minors in libraries across South Dakota. Citizens from Sioux Falls, Harrisburg, Hartford, Brookings, Rapid City, Sturgis and other communities have approached school officials with concerns. During the 2024 legislative session, the South Dakota State House and Senate members received a spreadsheet educating them on pornographic material in schools in their own legislative districts. At the Dec. 10, 2024, Sioux Falls City Council meeting, citizens read from several sexually explicit books located in Sioux Falls public school libraries and Siouxland Libraries Teen sections. The city of Sioux Falls subsequently put a disclaimer on a replay of the video posted to its official website.

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