There is a debate going on in several school districts.

The bone of contention is the material labeled “sexually explicit” and how this may fit in an educational environment. It would seem that for many, “sexually explicit ” means ” pornographic.”

This is incorrect; explicit means detailed and specific to a subject. It has nothing to do with pornography, as such. It can be pornographic, and as such, has no place in a school library.

But we are talking about literature for the education of children. Teachers will need explicit material when tasked with this topic for their students.

Its availability should be targeted to the correct age group and controlled. Clearly, what is necessary for the education of children approaching puberty is not suitable for subteen children.

Some parents want to remove anything to do with sex education, and claim it’s a parental duty to enlighten children about such matters.

As things are, many children would then be left to gather information from peers and experiments. These sources will likely be ill-informed and dangerous.

One cannot stop nature; a child approaching puberty will become deeply curious about happenings within, and about information from external sources.

Guidance needed will likely come from teachers, who will need age-appropriate materials.

I hope that sex education literature includes guidance about responsibilities and rights.

Peter van Oosten, Greene