Parents of a student who competed in the National Civics Bee Wednesday evening in Schuylkill Haven are upset by a question that state Sen. David Argall (R-29) asked a sixth grade contestant.

On Thursday Argall issued an apology.

The state senator was serving as a volunteer judge at the inaugural event held at Penn State Schuylkill for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from Schuylkill County schools.

Anne and Greg Cryer, the parents of one of the contestants in the bee sponsored by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, said the sixth grade student presented on the topic of banning books in school libraries.

Argall then asked a question that the Cryers said was inappropriate.

“We cannot begin to understand Senator Argall’s thought process when he asked a 6th grade finalist about whether kindergartners should be given pornographic magazines,” the parents wrote in a message to the Times News. “Confused by his question, she asked him to explain, and he replied that pornography was ‘naked pictures of people’.”

The Cryers said the comment was “a complete disregard for appropriate discourse with a young adult, with even younger children in the audience.”

The mother of the student, only identifying herself as Erin Mary, posted on Facebook Thursday. “This question was both wildly inappropriate and ridiculous. Her paper had nothing to do with pornography and she had to (very calmly might I add) ask him what that even meant. To my shock, he replied “naked pictures of people.” She certainly maintained composure and redirected him back to the topic at hand. This discussion has no place at the Civics Bee. I am further appalled and furious that I now have to explain pornography to my 4th grader who was there to cheer on her sister.”

The Cryers, from Deer Lake, added, “We currently live in a country where our federal government and local school boards are actively removing classic texts, like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’. Free speech is at stake. Truth is at stake. This is the issue, not pornography. His question was a red herring, and it degraded the higher purpose of this worthy event.”

Argall apologized Thursday.

“During last night’s local round of the National Civics Bee, I posed a question as a volunteer judge to a participant that was not age-appropriate for this setting. I apologize to the young lady, her family, and all the participants who worked hard to get to this point, with excellent presentations by the students who submitted entries on book bans and many other important subjects,” he said.

He added that he “was attempting to ask if some books and magazines are not appropriate for some age groups, a subject which has received considerable attention in the General Assembly in recent years. In hindsight, my obvious mistake was in citing an example that was itself not appropriate for this age group, a mistake which I will not make again.”

Argall posted the apology on his Facebook page. The post had received more than 2,700 comments as of Friday morning. Many of the comments ask for his resignation.

Argall has served on the state Senate since winning a 2009 special election following the death of Sen. James J. Rhoades. In the Senate, Argall is the chairman of the Majority Policy Committee.

Before being elected senator, Argall had served as the state representative for the 124th District since 1984.