The Alberta government has released new standards for school library materials to ensure they are age-appropriate, addressing concerns over previously inconsistent safeguards across provincial school boards.The initiative, shaped by feedback from education partners and nearly 80,000 public survey respondents between May 26 and June 6, aims to foster safe and supportive learning environments for students province-wide.51% of respondents opposed sexually explicit materials being accessible to children in any public library, while 41% of parents polled said children should never access sexually explicit material.“Our actions to ensure that materials in school libraries don't expose children to sexual content were never about banning books,” said Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare.“These new standards are to ensure that school boards have clear guidance to provide age-appropriate access to school library materials, while reflecting the values and priorities of Albertans.”Outlined in the new standards, explicit sexual content is now prohibited in school libraries..UPDATED: Alberta government launches initiative to ban pornographic books from school libraries.Explicit sexual content is defined as “containing a detailed and clear depiction of a sexual act,” such as genital contact, masturbation, or penetration.Non-explicit sexual content — depictions of sexual acts that are not detailed or clear — will be restricted to students in Grade 10 and above, provided it is deemed developmentally appropriate by school board initiative.According to a government spokesperson, the ministerial order only applies to explicit and non-explicit sexual content. Topics such as self-harm, profanity, and drug or alcohol abuse are not included unless they are of a sexual nature.“Protecting kids from explicit content is common sense,” said Blaine Badiuk, an education and LGBTQ advocate.“LGBTQ youth, like all children, deserve to see themselves in stories that are age-appropriate, supportive, and affirming — not in material that sexualizes or confuses them.”.Badiuk feels that to suggest that such representation must include sexual content is not only false, it's a disservice to the LGBTQ community. “It’s limiting and reinforces the harmful stereotype that our identities are inherently sexual, which we know is not true," Badiuk stated."It hurts the community way more than it helps. Badiuk went on to say, LGBTQ adults support policies like this new initiative because they “remember what it was like to be young, vulnerable and curious.” Content related to biological functions (e.g., puberty, menstruation, breastfeeding), medical processes, technical reference materials, or non-sexual depictions like kissing, hugging, and hand-holding are not restricted.Religious texts and scriptures are also exempt from the initiative.On Thursday, Nicole Buchanan, chair of Red Deer Public Schools told the media this new order was welcome and set clear expectations going forward as to what is or is not age-appropriate in schools. “Some students in our schools may be of provincial age to consume alcohol and tobacco but that doesn’t mean we put them in our vending machines,” she said.“They don’t belong in a school environment regardless of age and legality.”.Albertans show strong support for new school library standards .Materials containing explicit sexual content must be removed by October 1,with school boards required to implement compliant policies by January 1, 2026.School boards are now required to regularly review library collections, publish comprehensive lists of available materials, and ensure staff supervision of student access.A government spokesperson said it will be up to local school boards to determine what constitutes a regular review of a library’s materials.When asked whether or not he would look at cutting funding from school boards who went against the new guidelines, Nicolaides said he would, “take a closer look at it,” but also added in his two-plus years as minister, he has never had a situation where a school board had stated they didn't intend to follow through with a new piece of government legislation.“I’m not too sure what actual levers or instruments would be available to the government and minister in a situation where a board is deliberately non-compliant," he said. "If the situation arose, I would explore what to do.” .Holly Bilton, a trustee with Chinook’s Edge School Division, praised the initiative, stating, “A robust, grade- and age-appropriate library catalog is vital for student success.“We appreciate the ongoing consultation to craft a plan that will serve our families and communities well.”Policies must detail processes for material selection, review, supervision, and requests for material removal.These rules apply to public, separate, francophone, charter, and independent schools but exclude municipal libraries within schools and teacher-selected classroom resources.By January 2026, school boards must clearly communicate these policies to employees, students, and parents, ensuring transparency and consistency.School boards have suggested that the October 1 deadline might be too soon to sort through their extensive catalog and remove all inappropriate materials but, Nicolaides said on Thursday he and the ministry would be willing to work with school boards to do what’s right for the students to get the correct materials removed from schools.