Anthony Watt writes: “An Iowa Senate proposal to bring criminal charges against school librarians and teachers who disseminate books the bill’s authors consider to be obscene is among the social issues in schools that legislators are expected to address this session. Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel, and Sen. Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, have said they support bringing charges where they feel a violation has occurred. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Ankeny, says parents have raised issues about five books that have been topics of debate in districts nationwide, the Des Moines Register reported: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, and Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Democratic leaders in both chambers were critical of lawmakers taking a hand in the issue and argued there is a process in place to address concerns about books or other materials.”

Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa), Jan. 10; Des Moines (Iowa) Register, Dec. 14