Library Policy OK?d Amid Censorship Concerns In Central Bucks

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. ? Amid vocal opposition Tuesday night, the Central Bucks School Board approved a library materials policy that creates a process for the selection of books and gives parents a path to challenge titles they feel are inappropriate.

After listening to more than an hour of public comment, the board voted 6-3 to adopt policy 109.2, prompting shouts and jeers from the audience.

Board President Dana Hunter joined members Debra T. Cannon, Leigh Vlasblom, Lisa Sciscio, Jim Pepper, and Sharon Collopy in voting in favor of the policy.

Voting against the policy were Dr. Tabitha Dell'Angelo, Karen Smith and Dr. Mariam Mahmud who called for a postponement of the vote after questioning who wrote the policy and who would be the arbiter on what book is kept and what book is not.

Prior to the vote, the board heard from 25 parents, teachers, students and librarians, many of whom voiced strong opposition to the policy.

?Just know that whatever titles you decline, that is a form of book banning,? said library media specialist Chris Kehan. ?This proposed policy is not about the kids. It?s about those parents who are uncomfortable talking to their kids about real world issues. It?s a policy for a small group of parents - the minority - who want to control what?s in our libraries, which infringes on the rights of the majority of our readers.?

Three parents at the meeting spoke in favor of the policy, including one woman who said materials containing sexually explicit content don?t belong in a school library. ?This is not a ban. This is not a censorship. It?s common sense,? she said.

?It?s disturbing to me that so many people are fighting so hard for their children to be exposed to some of this material,? said a Warrington parent. ?Despite the turnout tonight please know most CBSD parents are appreciative of you looking out for their children and protecting them.?

Under the new policy, if a parent challenges a book it will be reviewed by a committee of district educators, librarians and administrators appointed by the superintendent. If the educator-led review process finds that the challenged book should not remain in the library, the policy guidelines stipulate that another book on the same subject matter must replace it.

In a statement issued prior to the meeting, board president Dana Hunter and Superintendent Abe Lucabaugh said books like ?The Bluest Eye? by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, which chronicles the real-life horror of racism and sexual abuse, belong in the district?s school libraries at an age-appropriate level. So do the classics like ?The Scarlet Letter? or an illustrated reference book about anatomy, they said.

But Lucabaugh and Hunter said there are books that contain salacious, gratuitous, graphic, explicit sexual content with no literary or educational applications. ?Those do not belong in school libraries,? the district leaders said.

The proposed policy has been a lightning rod at recent school board meeting with students, parents and community members fearing it?s part of a broader, national push by the right to censor content and ban books, especially those about the LGTBQ+ community.

Dozens gathered prior to the meeting to protest the policy at a rally and press conference. They held up signs saying ?Only Cowards Ban Books? and ?Central Bucks - Not Texas, Not Florida? and spoke passionately against policy 109.2.

?No tiny fraction of parents should have the authority to decide what nearly 18,000 students in our district should be reading,? said Lilly, a Central Bucks East student. ?If passed this will set a precedent in all schools in our state and across the nation. I am sad, disappointed, but mostly I am angry.

?Using the pretext of policy to effectuate censorship that will disproportionately impact marginalized students is wrong, inequitable, inherently discriminatory and violates the code of conduct of our school board members,? she said.

The policy has also raised concern over censorship with the NAACP, the Pennsylvania School Library Association, the Education Law Center, the ACLU and the National Coalition Against Censorship, many of which sent representatives to speak at the press conference.