New guidelines for Alberta K-12 School Libraries surrounding explicit content

Photo source: Government of Alberta LIVE Stream

While many students and families are out enjoying their summer vacations, the Alberta Government is launching a new set of guidelines for age-appropriate material in their libraries.

Back in May, the Government of Alberta responded to an outcry from families as K to 12 School Libraries have curated materials not suitable for students under the age of 18.

The flagged content found in the libraries included strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol, and depictions of molestation.

Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides, at a press conference on July 10th, expressed his surprise that mature subject matter was accessible to young children.

The Alberta Government has set hard deadlines for October 1, 2025, for all explicit sexual content to be removed, along with the School Board to have standards align with the Government’s standards by January 1, 2026.

In a survey put out to the public by the government on which ran from the end of May to the beginning of June, the majority of those who participated said that the issue should be addressed, but also the majority said they were not supportive of the government setting the requirements for school boards.

The new guidelines affect school libraries and will not affect public libraries that reside inside schools.

The new guidelines exempt religious texts from the ban and consider kissing, hugging, and hand-holding as non-sexual.