Superintendent Chris Ragsdale recently updated the Board and community on the steps the District is continuing to take to keep sexually explicit books—equivalent to rated R and NC17 movies—out of Cobb Schools media centers and classrooms. 

“As long as I am the superintendent of the Cobb County School District, I will work tirelessly to ensure your children are not given unrestricted access to materials containing lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit content, nor will your taxes be used to fund it,” Superintendent Ragsdale declared during the April Board meeting. 

In September 2023, Cobb Schools became one of the first school districts in Georgia to start the process of ensuring students do not have access to books and materials that are so graphic they could not even be read aloud during a Board meeting or printed in the local newspaper. 

Other area school districts and boards, including Marietta City’s Board, have followed. 

“As I reported to the Board last September, we were informed two books containing lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit content could be found in Cobb County School District media centers. A thorough review of these books—“Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl,” and “Flamer”—showed they were rife with graphic sexual content, all of which involved children. We then discovered Fulton County School District removed a third book—“Blankets”—for containing lewd, vulgar, and sexually graphic content. We reviewed and removed that book as well.” 

As Superintendent Ragsdale explained, the District implemented a process for the District and school staff, and when they learn of additional inappropriate books, the books will be removed. Since then, four additional books have gone through the District’s thorough review process and are being removed: “It Ends with Us,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Lucky,” and “Thirteen Reasons Why.” 

In his address to the Board, Superintendent Ragsdale pointed out that some are erroneously referring to the District’s process as book banning. 

“We are no more ‘banning books’ than we are banning rated R and NC17 movies. What we are doing is not forcing taxpayers to fund students having unrestricted access to materials that are so sexually explicit and graphic they could not be read aloud in the board meeting without violating FCC regulations. What we are doing is giving parents peace of mind in knowing their children will not have unrestricted access to this content while at school. What we are doing is assuring Cobb County educators will not be forced to assume the heavy burden of incorporating lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit materials into instruction and student conversations. What we are doing is refusing to force Cobb County taxpayers and educators to facilitate and advance the sexualization of children,” Superintendent Ragsdale said. 

From the beginning, Superintendent Ragsdale has remained resolved to protect Cobb students despite the political activists who disagree with the decision. 

“I still very much encourage those who are opposing any material removals to personally review the materials before condemning action by the District,” Superintendent Ragsdale said. “We have even heard those advocating for the mandatory inclusion of lewd, vulgar, and sexually graphic books and materials in schools saying I am calling them ‘evil.’ I am not. I believe they are short-sighted, wrong, and often motivated by reasons that reflect their social and political agendas and have nothing to do with the education and protection of children.” 

In addition to protecting parents’ rights to make family decisions about lewd, vulgar, sexually explicit, and graphic content, Superintendent Ragsdale stressed that it is incumbent upon educators to work to reduce human and child sex trafficking across the state and nation. The two are not disconnected. 

“The sexualization of children can never be allowed to become normalized,” Superintendent Ragsdale said. “I am sure that there will be some who contend these situations are not related. I respectfully disagree. I simply cannot understand how anyone can disagree with removing lewd, vulgar, and sexually graphic, and explicit books and materials from children’s unrestricted access in public school.” 

Most of those demanding children have access to the removed content are activists, not educators. As Superintendent Ragsdale pointed out in his remarks, he is standing up for Cobb educators who have “expressed concern that those activists advocating for the acquisition and inclusion of sexually explicit material see it as an important first step to requiring ALL teachers include those materials in lessons in their classrooms.” 

That is not going to happen in Cobb Schools. 

“I have made a distinct statement saying protecting children from age-inappropriate and graphically sexually explicit material is a battle between good and evil. You are either in favor of forcing public schools to provide lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit materials to children, or you are against it,” Superintendent Ragsdale said. “As I have repeatedly stated, ‘I do believe the attempt to sexualize children is evil, and we as educators have a professional and moral responsibility to prevent it.’ This is not only a professional but a moral obligation. And I will reiterate my position; I will not be moved.” 

To keep families updated and informed, this is the most recent list of books containing lewd, vulgar, and sexually graphic content that are no longer available in Cobb Schools. 

Included list of books: 

• “Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl” 
• “Flamer” 
• “Blankets” 
• “It Ends with Us” 
• “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” 
• “Lucky” 
• “Thirteen Reasons Why”