The Northeast Independent School District Board of Trustees approved updates to board policy EFB(Local) to align district library selection and reconsideration procedures with Senate Bill 13, with a 5-2 roll-call vote.
Christina Arena, director of library services, presented the revisions and identified a key change in the policy’s responsibilities language: "the DELAC assists the district in developing the list of library material recommendations to be presented to the board," she said, clarifying that the proposed District Library Advisory Committee (DELAC) would not "curate" purchases but review and recommend titles compiled by library services.
Arena explained SB 13 imposes new state requirements including a 30-day public posting of proposed titles, parental opt-out rights and, if requested by sufficient parents, a DELAC. She said the district processes about 22,000 books a year overall and estimates the first SB 13 approval list could include "anywhere between 4 and 5,000" new ISBNs because librarians order many new releases that are not duplicates of existing catalog items.
Trustees debated whether to create the DELAC now or leave that decision discretionary. Board members expressed concern the multi-step reconsideration process could prolong access to new purchases and impede classroom libraries. Several trustees suggested removing the DELAC from the reconsideration appeals path so challenges proceed from campus level to district reconsideration committee (DRC) and then to the board. Legal counsel and staff said that if the board forms a DELAC, state law requires including it in the reconsideration process.
Board counsel and staff also confirmed details for implementation: library materials (purchased or donated) must be posted for at least 30 days before board approval; parents may limit a student’s access via the district circulation system (Insignia/Sora); the district’s e-content platform OverDrive was paused for SB 13 compliance and expected to return "early fall"; and DELAC members would receive training on collection development and meet at least twice a year.
After discussion and several suggested edits — including changing specified response timelines to "district business days" and clarifying appellant notification — the board voted. The motion to approve EFB(Local) "as presented with the addition of notifying the appellant" carried 5-2; several trustees urged that procedures be tightened and timelines clarified before final implementation. The policy will be posted and staff will bring forward committee-formation items in a subsequent meeting.