Schools in Missouri, America, are being sued for using internet pornography filters – because the filters may also block some homosexual websites.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which launched the legal action, wants the internet filtering software turned off until the matter is resolved.
But Tim Hadfield, Superintendent of the Camdenton School District, has said: “We do not specifically filter sites promoting alternative lifestyles. We do specifically block sites that are inappropriate and will continue to do so.”
Bullied
American religious liberty group the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) said: “School districts shouldn’t be bullied into exposing students to sexually explicit materials”.
ADF has warned a number of school districts that bowing to demands from the ACLU to deactivate various internet filters will expose children to sites which display pornographic images.
In a letter to the districts, ADF said schools are well within their legal rights to retain their filters.
Scare
ADF lawyer David Cortman said that the “ACLU is pushing its radical sexual agenda for children by intimidating school districts with a long string of scare tactics disguised as a concern over censorship”.
And he added: “In truth, these school districts have no obligation to cave to the ACLU’s unwarranted demands. Our children come first.”
Another ADF lawyer cautioned: “Parents expect schools to be places where their children learn – not places where they access pornography.”
Filter
The ACLU has claimed schools have a “legal duty” to allow students access to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-related sites.
Before the lawsuit was brought, Tim Hadfield explained that his district has a custom-built filter system – reported local news source LakeNewsOnline.com.
LakeNewsOnline.com also reported that the district has made and will continue to make exceptions for students when they make a request to view sites that are automatically filtered, so long as those sites do not violate the district’s policies.