August 23, 2022

The Honorable Tom Wolf The Honorable Eric Hagarty

Governor of Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Education
508 Main Capitol Building 333 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120 Harrisburg, PA 17126

Dear Governor Wolf and Acting Secretary Hagarty:

We write to you today to relay the concerns of various Pennsylvania educators, state officials,
and most importantly parents regarding radical indoctrination of students in the classroom. Many
have understandably reached out to our offices to express outrage over material currently being
carried in school libraries that we know is unfit for school aged children. Yet this material
remains widely available in many school districts across our Commonwealth. For example, many
of these concerns have come from the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, which
includes concerning and graphic material and raises questions as to the relevancy this material
plays in the elementary and secondary education environment.
Pennsylvania schools need to be places where students feel safe and comfortable learning the
important academic lessons that will set them up for a successful career and equip them with the
tools they need to succeed in life. We need to do everything we can to be a partner to local
communities as they work to educate every student and give them the chance to pursue their
passion while in school.
While individual school boards along with school administrators and parent-teacher associations
have the authority to add or remove material from libraries, we request that your Administration
and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) take action to investigate instances of
explicit material being circulated and decide if further oversight is needed. Students are already
facing an unprecedented amount of learning loss caused by school closures during the COVID-
19 emergency period, so we need to be doing everything in our power to help students make the
most out of learning opportunities inside the classroom now that the threat of infection has
substantially decreased.
As a report issued by the Pennsylvania Office of Commonwealth Libraries indicated, “research
studies provide strong evidence that academic achievement is significantly higher where a strong
library program exists.”1 We wholeheartedly agree with this and many of the other resources
included in the report, which focus on helping students succeed in the classroom and enhancing

1
See Guidelines for Pennsylvania School Library Programs (2019), available at
https://www.statelibrary.pa.gov/Documents/For%20Libraries/Library%20Laws%20and%20Regulations/Governors
%20Advisory%20Council/GuidelinesforPennsylvaniaSchoolLibraryPrograms.pdf
their academic experience. We fail to understand how the aforementioned graphic material
contained in books like “Gender Queer” falls into any of the categories contained in this report.
We therefore request answers to the following questions:
• What processes are currently in place to review school library material?

• How do school boards, schools, and librarians engage with parents to determine age and
academically appropriate content?

• What have the PDE and the Administration done to ensure the focus remains on
academic outcomes and student success?

• Has there been any investigation into this matter? Please report back regarding how any
of the inappropriate material being supplied to Pennsylvania schools fits into regular
school curriculum, enhances student leaning or improves educational outcomes.

We are standing by to assist should you need any additional information. Thank you for your
prompt attention to this request.

Sincerely,

FRED KELLER LLOYD SMUCKER

Member of Congress Member of Congress

GLENN “GT” THOMPSON GUY RESCHENTHALER

Member of Congress Member of Congress

MIKE KELLY
Member of Congress