Three newly-elected members of the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board want answers on why a pornographic book with detailed descriptions of oral sex was available for high-school students to check out.
The book “Him” was brought up during a Monday school board meeting by board member Scott Wenshau, who shared that several community members brought concerns about the content of the novel to him.
Matt Moehrle, board chair, said that adding a discussion about the novel to the agenda would be “premature,” saying that before the issue can be discussed by the board, those who object to the book being in the school library need to “go through the proper channels.”
After Wenshau’s initial request to discuss the book was rejected, a parent read portions of it aloud during the meeting.
“I sucked him deeper into my mouth, almost to the base, and just when he moaned, I released him, gliding my tongue along the long, hard length of him until his dick was glistening. I lapped at the moisture leaking out of his tip, and the taste of him infused my tongue, making my head spin. I was blowing my best friend. It was so surreal,” said one of the passages.
EXTREMELY GRAPHIC
A mom leaves the room STUNNED after she reads from the pornographic book “Him” which was available to students in @isd748.
The meeting continued with an incredible back and forth argument between board members about whether to remove the book. Watch till end! pic.twitter.com/lBLF7PZHlZ
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 27, 2023
“I hope these examples serve as a wake up call to many other parents and community members in this district and let me be the first to ask you again: who, how, when and why?” parent Kelsey Yasgar told the board.
At the end of the meeting, when several board members again brought up the community’s concerns, the school superintendent claimed that the book is “not in circulation.”
“The book is not in circulation and hasn’t been in circulation for the better part of a week and a half. The book itself has never been checked out of the bookshelf that it had been on,” Superintendent Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover told KNSI.
Ridlehoover said the district is currently reviewing its protocol for how books are chosen for schools.
“That protocol was not clearly understood or clearly followed. I believe it was a mistake that was made by staff members who were simply looking for some books, and this book ended up on one of the shelves. It was not vetted in a normal way that we would typically vet books,” he continued.
The principal of Sartell High School, Shayne Kusler, did not respond to Alpha News’ request for comment about the book.
“Whether the book is in circulation or not is irrelevant. It’s the fact that it was even in our district,” said board member Jen Smith.
The school board has agreed to discuss how the book ended up on the shelves at a future work session.
Chris Yasgar, the president of Kids Over Politics 748, told Alpha News there is a process outlined in a 16-page document that the district is supposed to follow to choose materials for libraries. “Either none of the process was followed or it failed horribly. The author’s own rating of the novel in question is adult erotic,” Yasgar said.
He told Alpha News that he believes there are other books with troubling and pornographic content available in the school’s library.
“It’s not that we want every controversial book removed,” Yasgar said. “We want reasonable standards for age and content appropriate material in schools.”
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
