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Residents and students criticize board majority, library policy and election‑era tactics at Pine‑Richland meeting
Summary
Multiple speakers during the public comment period accused the board majority of micromanaging school operations, spending excessive time on a revised library policy, and attempting to silence critics with legal threats; several speakers urged voters to elect different candidates on Nov. 4.
Speakers at the Pine‑Richland School District Oct. 20 meeting used the public comment period to sharply criticize the board majority’s conduct, the district’s revised library policy and a cease‑and‑desist letter sent to local community organizers.
Steve Kootlenius, a resident who addressed the board near the start of public comment, said the October 2023 book‑policy debate was “an attempt to fix a problem that did not exist” and that, more than 217 days after the policy passed, the district had not used the new process to remove a single title. “If these books are truly so dangerous, then why hasn't anyone use[d] your policy to remove even one of them?” he asked.
Severa…
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