My child is feeling sexually harassed by their school reading assignments

In my efforts to raise my daughters right, I keep a close eye on the content they consume.

I constantly wonder, what are they watching? What are they listening to? What are they scrolling through? Is it appropriate?

However, my protective measures were compromised when my preteen daughter attended Kipps Beyond Middle School in Harlem. 

She was not pressured by peers to explore sexually explicit content. Instead, it was assigned by her 7th-grade English teacher without my knowledge.

The book “Aristotle and Dante Explore the Secrets of the Universe” seemed innocent at first glance, but it contained sexually explicit and mature content that was inappropriate for my daughter’s age.

After discovering the true content of the book, it became clear that the school was not transparent about what students were reading.

Despite protests from parents, the school defended the book as award-winning and continued to assign it along with more explicit material in the future.

After months of advocating for a change, the school eventually agreed to assign a different book, “Lord of the Flies,” for the time being.

However, the school’s commitment to teaching sexually explicit material in the future raised concerns for me and other parents.

It is important to hold educators accountable for what they expose young children to and ensure that boundaries are respected.

As a parent, I will always prioritize my daughters’ well-being and values over anything else.

School systems should not be allowed to expose children to explicit material without consent, and parents must stand up against such practices.

Protecting children from inappropriate content is crucial, and parents must advocate for higher standards in schools.

Bill Santiago is a stand-up comedian and author of “Pardon My Spanglish.”