Board signals intent to remove citizen book‑review committees; staff to rewrite policy for Tuesday first reading

At a Sept. 11 workshop the Escambia County School Board discussed proposed changes to library collection and book‑review procedures and expressed majority support for eliminating citizen‑based book review committees from the district policy, directing staff to prepare the revised policy for the board’s first reading on Tuesday.

Why it matters: board members said the existing committee process had proven cumbersome and slow and that the district — not volunteer review panels — would ultimately be held responsible if challenged materials remained on shelves. Several board members said they favor an internal review path that retains parental input on the front end and reserves appeals to the full board.

Details of the board discussion: board members referenced draft policy changes on Policy 25.20 and 25.22 and debated whether to remove committee language immediately or to present an amended policy for the board’s formal first reading. The board’s attorney advised caution: policy language should be replaced through the policy amendment process rather than a standalone resolution, because the existing policy contains optional committee language. The attorney recommended preserving current policy language until a replacement plan is ready.

Staff and media‑services input: Media Services described a new practice for 2023–24 in which school media specialists prepare purchase lists, obtain principal approval and post the lists to school websites for at least 10 days so community members can provide feedback before a new title is purchased. Where a purchase is a duplicate for a school, staff said those copies can be purchased without board action; where a book is new to the district the item will be routed for higher‑level approval. Superintendent Leonard and district counsel discussed creating a short district-level review panel (three staff members) to consider challenges, with board appeal to follow.

Board direction and next steps: a majority of members present asked staff to remove the citizen committee language from the policy draft to be presented for the board’s first reading at the next regular meeting; staff were asked to develop replacement procedures that include (1) a documented sign‑off by media specialists and principals certifying compliance with state requirements, (2) a district review panel to process credible challenges and (3) an appeals path to the full board. Board members emphasized they expect a clear, written accountability trail so the district can show who vetted a challenged title.

No formal vote took place at the workshop; the board agreed to place the amended policy on the upcoming meeting agenda for formal action.