On December 8, 2025, I stood in front of the Twin Falls School Board with a simple, uncomfortable fact: 201 books in district libraries had been flagged as sexually inappropriate for children. I didn’t demand mass removals. I didn’t grandstand. I offered to provide a list of titles so the district could review them responsibly.
Instead, I was told by Twin Falls School District’s Chairman of the Board, Eric Smallwood, that only one book has been removed in the last nine years, and that if I wanted action, I would need to complete a separate challenge form for each of the 201 titles.
Two hundred and one forms. That wasn’t a good-faith solution. It was friction by design.
And I don’t believe for a second they expected anyone to actually do it. But it would not be the first time they underestimated me.
Just over a month later, approximately 28 book titles, and counting, have now been formally challenged for review. Each one was carefully documented. Each one was submitted through the district’s own process. Not because parents have unlimited time, but because children deserve better than bureaucratic stonewalling.
Let’s Be Clear About the Books: This is not To Kill a Mockingbird. This is not The Catcher in the Rye. This is not classic literature with the occasional uncomfortable word or historical slur.
These are books containing explicit sexual dialogue, graphic descriptions of sexual acts, detailed depictions of masturbation, oral sex, fetishized language, drug and alcohol glorification, suicidal ideation, incest, child prostitution, and teacher-student grooming scenarios — all accessible to minors in school libraries without parental knowledge or consent.
To remove any doubt about the type of material being defended, below are representative excerpts from challenged titles currently accessible to students.
“have you ever given logan a b***w j*b? “…no b**w j*bs for YOU, missy!” …what about plain old s*x? If yr embarrassed to have him go down on you, won’t you be embarrassed to have s*x?”
L8r, G8r Lauren Myracle
“Are you gonna eat her p***y? Yeah, Earl, I’m going to eat her p***y. Heh. Yeah. Do you even know how to eat p***y?”
-Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrew’s
“Let’s pretend I’m here with you, big b*tt and all, getting ready to suck your brains right out your d**k.”
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
“do you still touch yourself to thoughts of me do you still imagine my n*ked n*ked tiny tiny body pressed into yours do you still imagine the curve of my spine and how you wanted to rip it out of me cause the way it dipped into my perfectly rounded bottom drove you crazy”
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
“He rolled over on top of me and we moved together again and again and it felt so good I didn’t ever want to stop- until I c***.”
Forever by Judy Bloom
In addition to the excerpts above, One challenged author, Craig Silvey, has also been recently arrested for possession of child sexual abuse material.That fact alone should have triggered an immediate review.
Instead, parents were handed paperwork
What Parents Actually Asked For: My request has been simple and consistent:
Either remove these titles from school libraries, or require individual parental permission slips with clear summaries and relevant excerpts — not a vague, blanket “inappropriate language may be in books” acknowledgment. If the content is appropriate for children, transparency should not be controversial. Its in your catch phrase, remember?
The Law Already Spoke — Some Just Didn’t Like the Answer
In 2024, Idaho passed House Bill 710, now state law. HB 710 strengthened parental rights and created a clear pathway for addressing harmful material accessible to minors in schools and libraries.
At the Twin Falls Public Library, these challenged titles have been moved to the Adult Non-fiction section in response to HB710. So, why are they still in the school libraries? And at what point do Schools need to comply? This bill didn’t appear out of nowhere. It acknowledged what parents across Idaho had been raising for years: schools are not the sole moral authority over children, and parents retain the right to object when sexually explicit material is placed in front of minors.
When the bill passed, our former three members of our local legislative delegation voted against it:
Greg Lanting, former Representative — NAY
Chenele Dixon, former Representative — NAY
Linda Wright Hartgen, former Senator — NAY
They opposed a bill centered on parental rights, transparency, and protections for minors. That is not rhetoric — it is their recorded vote. Which leads to a reasonable conclusion: voters should pay close attention to future endorsements offered by these individuals — whether for themselves or for others. Endorsements signal values. Voting records confirm them.
Meanwhile, a Book Drive: Indivisible Twin Falls hosted a Book Drive on January 18th during their monthly meet-up, stating:
“Bring a banned or challenged book if you’re able — we’re collecting donations to help ensure students in our school district have continued access to books.”
That raises a simple question: why is a political advocacy group actively promoting sexually explicit material to children under the banner of “access”? And did our schools accept these donations, fully knowing they were being donated in bad faith?
These are not abstract titles. These are the same books containing the excerpts above — including graphic sexual content, incest themes, and grooming scenarios — being defended and redistributed as though parental concern itself were the problem.
Adults can buy whatever books they want. That has never been the issue. This isn’t Fahrenheit 451, as much as they would love that cliché. This is keeping inappropriate books out of the school libraries. No books have been banned. They are all available at our public libraries, as well as for purchase online.
The issue is whether taxpayer-funded school libraries should quietly serve as distribution points for explicit material to minors and whether parents are allowed to object without being mocked, dismissed, or buried under paperwork.
Accountability Isn’t a Catchphrase, It’s a Choice: I recently spoke out against the Twin Falls School Board, specifically Eric Smallwood, Chairman of the TFSD Board, following a mandatory staff meeting. This required staff meeting was on paid time, funded by taxpayer dollars. Through a Public Records Request, I also obtained an invoice for $3,200 worth of breakfast burritos for this event. This meeting was seemingly organized in conjunction with the superintendent, Brady Dickinson, while their board clerk, Michelle Lucas, sent out the Google invitations with an email reply stating: “It’s going to be a brief 15-minute message on the importance of voting in the May Elections”. Eva Craner of Public Relations, organized the food preparations while Assistant Superintendent Ryan Nesmith handed out QR codes on where to change your party affiliation. Not only were the staff told they could “Swing the election”, but they were also told that “public education is under attack.”
On that point, I agree. Public education is under attack.
It is under attack by those who undermine parental authority, dismiss legitimate concerns, and blur the line between professional responsibility and political messaging. These are the same individuals who dismissed my own concerns about my child’s teacher’s online behavior.
A complaint has been filed with the Idaho Attorney Generals office for investigation by Representative David J. Leavitt, Representative Clint Hostetler, Senator Joshua Kohl and Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld regarding concerns of the violation of Idaho Code 74-604.
When The System Won’t Change, the Family Must: So the questions becomes unavoidable: at what point are the people entrusted with children actually held accountable? When does “trust us” stop being an acceptable substitute for transparency? When will those in charge look in the mirror and acknowledge they are part of the problem? And when will they understand why so many families are choosing alternative education options?
Because accountability is possible.
I’ve experienced it firsthand through the Dean of Schools at Xavier Charter School. When I have had a concern, it has been taken seriously and addressed. That’s leadership. Transparency doesn’t weaken schools. Parental involvement doesn’t threaten education. And accountability does not “attack” public education — it strengthens it.
Families aren’t leaving because they hate public education. They’re leaving because too many people in charge refuse to listen.
This Is Where You Come In: Parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles — this is not theoretical, and it isn’t happening somewhere else. It is happening here. In our state. In our city. In our schools. If you care about what children are exposed to, if you believe parents should have a voice, and if you are tired of being told to stay quiet and trust systems that refuse transparency, now is the time to get involved.
To join or learn more about Moms for Liberty, Twin Falls County, visit MomsForLiberty.org, and locate the Twin Falls County Chapter or email us at MomsforLibertyTwinFalls@proton.me. And if there isn’t a chapter in your area, you can start one. Accountability doesn’t begin in boardrooms. It begins when families decide to stop staying silent. And that choice is still ours.
