Mayor Craig Shubert of the city of Hudson in Summit County, Ohio has demanded the resignation of five school board members over high school course material that a judge said constitued "child pornography." If they do not resign, the mayor challenged, they would face potential criminal charges over the lewd school materials disseminated to students.
"It has come to my attention that your educators are distributing essentially what is child pornography in the classroom," Mayor Shubert told the Hudson City Schools board, The Epoch Times reported. "I've spoken to a judge this evening. She's already confirmed that. So I'm going to give you a simple choice: You either choose to resign from this board of education or you will be charged."
BREAKING: Hudson mayor demands all school board members resign or face possible criminal charges over high school course material that he said a judge called "child pornography."
"I'm going to give you a simple choice: You either choose to resign or you will be charged." pic.twitter.com/guhp0zc0ns
"” Jenny Beth Martin (@jennybethm) September 14, 2021
Parents at Hudson High School said their children were given an assignment involving an inappropriate writing prompt in a book called "642 Things to Write About" in a liberal arts class.
Amazon reviews of the book revealed that several of its writing prompts included sexual topics, with others warning that the book is not for younger writers or students. Such inappropriate prompts include asking students to drink a beer and describe how it tastes, or how to commit a murder. It also included writing prompts about creating "a sex scene you wouldn't show your mom."
"Do not sexualize our kids! The raw filth that snuck past the gatekeeping functions of this board of ed. in '642 Reasons' was disgusting," Morris Norman, a parent of a Hudson High School student, told News 5.
Monica Havens, another concerned mother, said that when she asked her daughter if she saw the book "with inappropriate stuff in it," she said yes.
According to The Blaze, however, it was unclear whether school board members may be held criminally liable for the inappropriate classroom material. Ralph Lusher, staff attorney with the Ohio School Boards Association, admitted that he could not determine if the material "would cross a line or not" as he himself had not yet seen it.
Hudson Schools Superintendent Phil Herman responded through a statement, saying that the "inappropriate and offensive writing prompts" were part of a supplemental resource that was used in the high school senior-level College Credit Plus writing sections.
Herman said that the district "immediately determined this writing resource should not be in the hands of our students, and on Monday, collected the books from the students enrolled in the course." He added that "at no time were any of these inappropriate writing prompts assigned as part of the class."
High school principal Brian Wilch admitted that they "did not exercise due diligence" when reviewing the material to ensure it was age-appropriate, adding that they "feel terrible" and that an investigation is currently underway to determine how such materials are reviewed and if necessary action must be taken.
Herman issued an apology and committed to ensuring their educational program takes place in "a safe, nurturing environment."
Parents, however, remain unconvinced. Norman said "The students were told not to take the book home. Why? So their parents couldn't see it."
Another parent, Eric Durker, emphasized that the lewd material seems but a symptom of an even bigger problem: what the school teaches kids.
"We don't know what's going on in those classrooms. We don't know the curriculum. We don't know what is being said to our kids," Durker said.
