Atlanta area superintendent goes off on ‘pornographic material’ in schools: This is about 'good and evil'

Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale was adamant during a Thursday board meeting that he would do his best to "protect students" from what he called "pornographic material." 

"I, as superintendent, will not knowingly allow children in the Cobb County School District to access lewd, vulgar, sexually explicit, obscene, or pornographic material," Ragsdale, head of Cobb County School District in Georgia, said. "Let me be clear: anyone working in education who knowingly provides students with access to sexually explicit, obscene, or pornographic material should not be in a position of educating other parents’ children," he added, according to a document provided online by the county. 

"I want to be very clear," Ragsdale said. "This situation is about right and wrong, good and evil. There is no middle ground in this situation. You are either in favor of providing inappropriate material to children, or you are against it. I assure you. I am against it, and I will not be moved." 

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Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale was adamant during a Thursday board meeting that he would do his best to "protect students" from what he called "pornographic material."  ((Hoover Library/Lance Shores))

Ragsdale has been the subject of calls for removal and accusations that he was in favor of "book bans." 

"A gross failure of leadership with poor decisions related to students experiencing racism, homophobia, antisemitism, parents upset with school safety policies," parent Jennifer Susko said of Ragsdale's leadership, according to a report from Fox 5 Atlanta. 

He also has supporters among parents, like Samuel Thelen, according to the same report. 

"Some people are opposing him, saying he's done bad stuff, but we're just here to show support for him," Thelen said.

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Ragsdale told parents on Thursday that he was proud of making some books unavailable, including "Flamer." 

"Flamer" is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel set in 1995. It tells the story of Aiden, who is bullied at a Boy Scouts summer camp for "acting in a manner considered stereotypical of gay men."

Critics of the book have pointed to several illustrations as cause for alarm. One panel shows a teenage boy bending down in a shower while another cleans himself. The boy is also shown ogling the bodies of other students. No genitalia is shown in these depictions.

"Flamer," a novel by Mike Curato, garnered criticism for its sexually explicit content. (Author Mike Curato)

"If you need someone to blame for deciding to remove books, ‘Flamer,’ and ‘Me, Early, and the Dying Girl,’ you can blame me," Ragsdale said. "The Cobb County School District will not knowingly allow this material to be accessed by children in this District. 

Ragsdale argued that Cobb County School District had an obligation "to protect students and keep students safe," which is not "a radical idea," he said. The "radical new idea," Ragsdale added, was that "all children should somehow be forced to encounter sexually explicit language and instruction while at school." 

"The Cobb County School District is not engaging in book-banning or book-burning," Ragsdale said. "We are following well-established federal and state law and policies and practices of this District that have been with us for years, if not decades. Instruction in this District is built around Georgia state standards, not any individual or group’s political agenda." 

A Cobb County School District spokesperson provided Fox News Digital with the following statement: "As Superintendent Ragsdale said in his remarks, the vast majority of educators and parents continue to find it ridiculous and dangerous that all children should somehow be forced to encounter sexually explicit language and instruction while at school. Families have the right to raise their own children, and we will make every effort to keep them safe when they entrust them to Cobb schools. The vocal minority who opposes what the Superintendent said are just that—a vocal minority."

Ragsdale did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

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Fox News’ Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report. 

Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History. 

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