Bellbrook-Sugarcreek board hears public concern over draft parents' bill of rights; members discuss narrower language before July 1 deadline

At a Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local School District meeting, residents, students and staff urged the board to narrow a draft “parents’ bill of rights” policy they said goes beyond state statute and could restrict access to library materials and counseling services.

The comments came during the public-comment period and a later first reading and discussion of the policy, which speakers said expands the statute’s focus on classroom instruction to include libraries and other materials and would require written parental consent in cases where the statute provides for opt-out notification.

Nicole Stewart, the district’s middle school media specialist, described school book fairs and the role libraries play in promoting reading but did not take a position on the policy. A public commenter identified in the record as Mr. Rausch argued the draft widens the statute’s scope.…