South Gwinnett News

The Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill recently that seeks to implement changes to the process by which books can be removed from school libraries. 

House Minority Leader James Beverly called the bill an "egregious attack on freedom of speech," deeming it an unnecessary measure, a recent news report by FOX 5 Atlanta said. 

Currently, a school committee is in place to oversee the selection and removal of books and other materials from school libraries, the report said. 

"If a parent has any problem with any book, any part of the curriculum, they already have a place to go," Beverly told Fox 5 Atlanta. "It's been spelled out for years."

Senate Bill 226 passed the House on March 25, the report said. If it is signed into law, it would allow parents to directly address their concerns with the school's principal or designated person to discuss the material's removal.

State Sen. Jason Anavitarte said he introduced the bill after receiving complaints from parents, the report said. 

"The bill defines material that is 'harmful to minors' as 'description or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement or sadomasochistic abuse, when it: (1) taken as a whole, predominantly appeals to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors; (2) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors; and (3) is, when taken as a whole, lacking in serious literary, artistic, political or scientific 24 value for minors," the report said. 

The bill also establishes a timeline for principals to investigate and make a decision on the removal of library materials and gives parents a chance to appeal the decision to the local school board, the report said. 

The ACLU, Georgia Library Media Association and other education groups are among those who have voiced concerns over the implementation of the bill, the report said.