Committee Rejects Ban On 'Obscene Material' In Maine Schools

AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine legislators have rejected a bill that would have required teachers to notify parents and students before teaching with literature deemed "obscene.'' The Portland Press Herald reports Democrats and Republicans on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee unanimously rejected the measure Monday. The bill would have allowed teachers to be prosecuted criminally if they taught materials deemed obscene without notifying parents and students.
 
Republican Rep. Amy Arata had proposed the legislation after she took offense to her son being assigned to read Haruki Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore'' while he was a senior in high school. The book contains explicit descriptions of sexual activity.
 
Arata indicated Monday that she would look to address the matter without making it a criminal offense.