HB 1221 would have provided a definition for “material that is obscene or harmful to minors” and amended education and criminal laws accordingly. This bill would have required school and classroom libraries to remove materials deemed obscene or harmful to minors from bookshelves. It would have also made it a felony for a school corporation, school, librarian, or teacher to make these materials available to students. It would have required that a list of the materials in classroom libraries be published, and parents and community members could request that materials be removed if they think they may be considered obscene or harmful to minors. The bill provided a defense for an employee of a school if the material was approved for human sexuality instruction, and they were acting within their scope of employment.
HB 1221 continues last year’s efforts to criminalize teachers, librarians, & schools for distributing certain materials.
