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Students and parents urge restoration of high‑school library; administrators say books are in storage
Summary
Multiple students, parents and community members urged the board to reinstate the high-school library and media center. Administrators said books and furniture from the former library are in storage while staff work to find a solution that preserves band practice space and a media center.
Seniors and parents urged the Eastern York School District board to restore the high‑school library, saying the absence of a dedicated media center limits students’ access to quiet study space, books and internet access.
Several student speakers asked the board to return a room that had been repurposed following COVID back to library use. One senior said the library was repurposed in 2021 and that “the books and furniture that were once being used are now either collecting dust or unaccounted for or have been sold,” and that students had offered donations to help rebuild a collection. Another senior, Matt Levine, described the library’s educational value for group work, clubs and students who lack quiet space at home.
District administrators acknowledged the students and parents and said the district had repurposed the former library to allow the band to spread out when COVID distancing requirements were in effect. An administrator told the board that boxes of books and materials are currently in storage and that district leaders are “well aware of the need to try to work to find a solution for both of those so that we can have a media center back as well as providing a space for our band to practice with the equipment that goes along.”
Community members and parents also spoke in support of returning library space, calling it important for collaborative study and equity for students who lack off‑campus study options. Several speakers tied the library request to broader concerns about district priorities and proposed tax increases, asking why restored library space could not be prioritized.
Public-comment rules Speakers were reminded the hearing was for patrons on agenda items and that each comment was limited to three minutes; the board said it would listen and take notes but that questions requiring action would be referred to staff.
No formal board action was taken during the meeting on the library; administrators said they would investigate solutions that could accommodate both band spacing needs and a library or media center.
