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Parents, advocates press APS to remove sexually explicit books and rescind new media policy
Summary
Dozens of public commenters at the April 2 Albuquerque Public Schools board meeting urged the district to audit and remove books they called sexually explicit from school libraries and criticized a newly adopted media policy that limits individual board members' statements to the press.
Dozens of speakers at the April 2 meeting of the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education urged the district to remove what they described as sexually explicit books from school libraries and to rescind a new media policy that restricts board members from speaking individually to reporters.
Speakers urged immediate action. “There are over a 25 plus ******** explicit materials found in the APS libraries,” said Damara Andrade during public forum, saying parents entrusted the district to guard children from harmful material. Sarah Smith told the board that “there are over 125 plus books in Albuquerque Public School libraries that are age inappropriate for students,” and read passages she characterized as sexually explicit.
The concern about the new media policy came from speakers who said the policy, which they said limits media comments to the board president, undermines accountability. “Constituents deserve to hear how their board members voted and why,” said Tony Watkins, who identified himself as with Families United for Education and cited the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and the ACLU of New Mexico in urging the board to rescind the policy. Megan Long, speaking by video, asked the board to “rescind the new media policy” and said it could be used to “stifle any board members whose votes do not align with the majority.”
Speakers gave examples of books they said were present in school libraries, naming titles raised during public forum, and read brief excerpts from some texts to demonstrate their concerns. Commenters asked the board to adopt a districtwide policy and audit so parents would not have to file repeated individual challenges at each school to address materials they find objectionable. Several speakers urged the board to establish a clear definition of “age appropriate” and to create a process for a single, district-level review.
Board Vice President Jackson reiterated public forum rules at the start of the item and noted the New Mexico Open Meetings Act requirement that the agenda list items the board will discuss. The board did not take action on library materials during the meeting; public forum is a listening period and not a deliberative item. Members of the public also raised related issues — including health education placement, parent notification rights, and concerns about gender-transition treatments — but the majority of public forum time was devoted to books and the media policy.
The board’s administration and legal staff were asked to follow up on public comments. No formal vote or binding directive to remove particular titles was recorded during the meeting. Several speakers provided contact information and materials to the board and asked administration to conduct a districtwide audit of library holdings and to draft a transparent definition and process for evaluating age appropriateness.
The remarks at public forum closed after roughly 45 minutes of scheduled testimony. The board moved on to its monitoring and consent items after the public comment period concluded.
