The Sora app first came to my attention when my son came home from school saying he’s being advertised lesbian content on his reading app.
I tried to understand what he meant and investigate for myself. I quickly determined that I was unable to access anything without pretending to be my child and signing in with his password. Parents have NO place within the Sora app.
If you do a search using the term “parents”, no results come up. Parents can’t see what their kids are reading, parents can’t choose any content, parents don’t get to know. They have NO access.
I also learned that kids are able to delete any history, so they can hide any reading that others may not support. They are advertised new reading, or suggested reading, when they open the app. This is how Here and Queer (a sex Ed book for questioning girls) and Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School were advertised as new reading.
I met with the school board in private, because of the inappropriate content, and was laughed at and told to just take it off their computers. So I did and put it on my phone instead so I could look a little further.
I can see that there is a section called rainbow reading that has over 150 books. I know of a few books that have already been brought to many School Boards across the country and were removed after pornography charges were being filed and supported. So I looked up the books and found Flamer. I started with the description, which did not cover what was coming. The few pages you are allowed to read before checking the book out, do not give warning to how explicit it is, with drawings of naked teens.
It quickly became uncomfortable and sexual in an unnecessary way. It’s a cartoon style story with an 11 year old main character. It would be appealing to a kid who likes comics or drawing. Right up until the circle jerk. I’m really afraid to go further and see what else my kids are reading while at school. What else are they advertising to my kids?
The book Flamer, which is basically a cartoon, is supposed to be for “young adults”, which at our school means middle and high school students. It says it can be read by a K-2 (because it’s really just a bunch of sexual pictures).
It’s recommended for highschoolers but I don’t know a lot of highschoolers that want to read a sexual cartoon about an 11-year-old. It would more appeal to AN 11 YEAR OLD. It’s available to 11 year olds in my district.
That’s upsetting and likely criminal.
The Sora app is free to students but NOT accessible to parents. Teachers can arrange for certain books to be available if students are all expected to read the same book for class. Otherwise, teachers are seeing the reading time (or listening time, the app reads TO you also).
Because the history can be deleted, they can’t REALLY see what their students are reading or listening to. Our curriculum specialist says openly that “listening has the same effect on the brain as reading.” She is returning as our superintendent so I’m pretty concerned. It could have a real impact on reading abilities, despite her belief that “it’s the same”. Listening ISN’T reading and we ALL know that. It may have it’s benefits but reading is the goal, not being a “good listener”. Our curriculum is based on an agenda that most parents are uncomfortable with. The app is only part of it. Inserted sexual education is happening during the morning announcements on the intercom. It can’t be avoided by those feeling uncomfortable. I thought parents could decide if sexual education was taught and it happened in a classroom?
How do I opt out of this? How do I protect MY kids and others from this pornographic content while at school?
Here and Queer: A Queer Girl’s Guide to Life:
Notice that as these books sexualize children, there is no reference to consent laws.The New Hampshire Age of Consent is 16 years old. In the United States, the age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 15 or younger in New Hampshire are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape.
In Ohio, John Stover from Ohio Value Voters, spoke before the Ohio Board of Education exposing a similar situation where children can access pornographic content through the state tax-funded organization called InfoOhio. InfoOhio is a joint effort between Ohio schools and Ohio libraries to provide online resources for students. Stover spoke before the Ohio State Board of Education to inform them that this resource was exposing children to hardcore pornography:
In this video, Gary Click, a State Representative from Ohio, questioned a representative from Children’s Hospital in Columbus Ohio about his ability to visit their website, and then within a few clicks, he can end up on a pornographic website:
Whether intentional or not, it is obvious that those in charge of educating children are exposing children to pornographic content. You cannot provide pornographic material to children and claim you are not sexualizing and grooming children. Parents are outraged by this and they are not stupid.
Some books may include content that parents do not agree with. When serving a diverse group of families, that’s going to happen from time to time. However, this goes beyond offensive content, and crosses a barrier that harms children. Sexualizing children through these materials is irresponsible if not criminal.
Parents need to attend school board meetings and demand better from the people you employ and pay. With the number of sexual assaults on students in New Hampshire, the last thing we need to do is help predators by sexualizing the children in their care.
