HELENA, Mont. — A law that could lead to public school employees being criminally punished via misdemeanor for violating obscenity laws heard debate in a Montana Senate committee Friday.
The Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee spent over two hours arguing about the merits of House Bill 234, sponsored by State Rep. Bob Phalen (R-Lindsay) along with seven other Republicans.
Whether material is considered obscene is determined by Montana code, which includes the Miller Test established by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Proponents, including the Office of Public Instruction, say public school employees should be held to the same standard as everyone else, and that children need to be protected from controversial literature like “Gender Queer” and “The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian.”
“If the same obscene material found in our libraries were found posted in my classroom, I would expect to be fired, and justifiably,” said State Rep. Lee Deming (R-Laurel), a former educator.
“At its essence, House Bill 234 is about restoring the trust and respect between parents and schools. Sadly, many parents lost faith in the school system when they saw what was being taught to their children online during the COVID lockdown. For the sake of our kids, we’ve got to find a way to get parents and schools back on the same page,” said Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation.
Also speaking in support were House Speaker Matt Regier (R-Kalispell), two members of...
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