Manchester school committee asks governor to veto HB324, calls bill vague and overbroad

The Board of School Committee voted May 27 to send a letter to Governor Ayotte urging her to veto HB324, legislation the board called vague and overbroad in how it would regulate instructional and library materials in public schools.

Committee member Parra, speaking for the board's Legislative Advocacy Committee, said the bill “prohibits materials harmful to minors in school” but “fails to define these materials adequately,” and noted the measure would reach curricular materials, library holdings and anything presented in schools online or in person. Parra moved to approve the committee-drafted letter asking the governor to withhold her signature; the motion passed on a roll-call vote.

The board’s letter — prepared by the Legislative Advocacy Committee, Parra said — argued HB324 does not define key terms such as what “appeal[s] to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors,” “patently offensive,” or “lacks serious value,” and it does not specify who would make implementation decisions. Parra cited existing district policies the board said already govern instructional materials and parent notification, including Instruction 145 (exceptions to use of specific course materials), Instruction 104.1, and curriculum-adoption policies.

Chairman O’Connell supported the motion and criticized the Legislature’s focus on the bill, saying he found it “appalling” that lawmakers were spending time “defining the various pieces of human anatomy” rather than addressing academic outcomes and school funding. Other board members framed the item as a defense of local control and academic freedom; several said district policies already require advance notice to parents about curriculum and provide opportunities to inspect materials.

A roll call recorded 12 yes votes, 2 no votes and one absence; the motion carried. The record shows yes votes from Committee members Turner, Carr, Sowell, Juan, Bonilla, Vergieron, Arderopoulos, O’Connell, Potter, Spillers, Banes and O’Neil; Committee Member Seneffel and the mayor recorded “no”; Committee Member Gonzales was absent. The board did not amend the committee’s draft letter before approving it.

The board’s action was advisory: it asks the governor to veto HB324 but does not change district policy. The committee’s statement referenced a recent veto of a substantially similar bill by the North Dakota governor and urged that the state leave decisions about classroom and library materials to locally elected boards and existing district procedures.

Board members and staff stressed the district already maintains several policies intended to provide transparency, parental notification and opt-out procedures for materials used in instruction. Superintendent and curriculum staff said those policies remain the mechanism by which the district handles questions about course content and library holdings.

The letter will be transmitted to Governor Ayotte’s office; the board did not set a further date for follow-up discussion at a public meeting.