Bartow County School Board candidates were among those attending the meet-and-greet at the American Legion Carl Boyd Post #42 Thursday night. The reception was held free to the public to allow for time to talk with many local candidates.
Butch Emerson (could not find a Facebook campaign page), Sharon Nelson Viktora, and James Satterfield had pamphlets, cards, and other items out as they each talked with voters about their vision for the school system. One question asked of each was about their views on sexually graphic books being allowed in public school libraries.
Some Georgia Republication state senators introduced Senate Bill 394, called the “Clean Libraries Act,” sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Clint Dixon. The act would mandate that public schools be forbidden from acquiring materials depicting sex acts after Dec. 1, 2024, by creating the Georgia Council of Library Material Standards. Members should be appointed by the governor, the House Speaker, the House minority leader, and the Senate minority leader.
The bill has been read for a second time in the Senate but that happened in February. Nothing has been done with it since.
Emerson said the school board has addressed the issue by putting a system in place allowing parents and other concerned citizens to raise concerns.
“We have a process and if you object, you can follow the process,” Emerson said.
He said the process of objecting is listed on the county school website. It starts with going to the principal but could also include the parent or teacher councils. He also said the material is available for review on the website.
James Satterfield said he thinks books that have more adult topics shouldn’t be in public schools serving kindergarten through 12th grade.
“I don’t think we need to put anything in their path that going to send them down the path of confusion, giving them information before it’s time. It’s going to complicate their entire life,” he said, adding that children aren’t mature enough to deal with the concepts. He also said parents may object.
Sharon Nelson Viktora declined to comment on any school board questions.
“I am declining a statement due to the conflict of interest in that my opponent is a relative to the owner and publisher of Georgia Media Group,” she said.
Emerson said the biggest issue he sees facing the Bartow County School system is growth.
“The way we are growing,” Emerson said. “We’re working toward developing new programs but we have a lot of families coming in.”
Satterfield agrees that the school system should accommodate growth but worries about the tax burden put on senior citizens. He said the school board should be listening to them when they speak out about it at meetings.
“The school system has to have a budget. It has to be paid for obviously,” Satterfield said. “We have a lot of people moving into the area. I would like to make sure or find a way for those using it to pay for it.”