South Iowa News

Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman said sexually oriented material was being provided to children in Iowa schools, amidst other controversial remarks as the Iowa legislature's new session begins. 

Chapman has in the past supported jailing educators who provide what he cites as obscene material to children, and he supports banning some books from schools.

“Those who wish to normalize sexually deviant behavior against our children, including pedophilia and incest, are pushing this movement more than ever before” Iowa’s Senate President Jake Chapman said, KSCJ reported.

Chapman said that his definition of obscene is based on Iowa Code Chapter 728, Iowa Starting Line reported. Democratic leaders criticized Chapman's remarks, referring to his words as divisive and claiming that it has made teachers, nurses and other people unwilling to work in the state, the Associated Press reported. This is one of the first controversies to emerge after the Iowa legislature began its session on Monday, Jan. 10. 

This is part of a larger movement across the United States in support of more oversight of what kind of material is available to children in schools, AP reported.

Chapman also attacked the media and discussed abortion during the beginning of the session, generating more strife. Tax cuts and changes to unemployment law are other expected areas of friction during the session, according to the AP. This session is scheduled to end on April 19.