Elizabethtown board votes to unendorse student-built Little Free Libraries, will keep boxes on district property

The Elizabethtown Area School District board voted June 24 to declare the district's small, student-built book-exchange boxes unendorsed by the district and therefore excluded from the requirements of Policy 109, while allowing the boxes to remain on school property.

Board President Steven Lindemuth opened the discussion and turned the item over to Director Daniel Gillis, who framed the issue as whether the Little Free Library located at East High and two similar boxes could remain on district property without being treated as district-endorsed library collections. Gillis moved to exclude the boxes from the policy; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call.

The vote followed a lengthy public comment period in which parents, students and community groups described the boxes as student-led literacy projects and community resources. Jim Safford, president of the eTown Area Education Association, urged the board to respect teacher professionalism while defending classroom practice; dozens of other speakers said the libraries promote summer reading and community engagement. Several board members, including Daniel Gillis and other directors, said the boxes had been informally maintained by volunteers and students since about February 2016 and that the board had originally approved locations in 2016.

Superintendent Dr. Nell told the board the library boxes had become largely self-sustaining and that the district's policy revisions left their status unclear. Dr. Nell said the boxes had been endorsed informally in the past but were not actively monitored by administration.

Board members who supported the motion recommended practical steps: add signage on each box stating it is not endorsed by the district, register the boxes on the Little Free Library registry if appropriate, and consult the district solicitor to ensure the disclaimer language and any trademark issues were handled properly. Several directors urged that any volunteer involvement by teachers or students take place outside school hours if the boxes were unendorsed.

The board's motion passed on a roll-call vote with all present directors voting yes. Following the vote, the board directed administration to coordinate placement of disclaimers and to consult legal counsel about trademark registration and the exact wording to ensure the boxes would not fall under Policy 109 requirements.

Board members and several public commenters noted that Policy 109 currently prohibits unsolicited donations to school libraries, and some speakers argued the boxes do not meet the policy's definition of a school library because they are community-run, unsupervised exchanges. Other speakers warned that if the boxes are unendorsed, district staff cannot be expected to inventory, review or steward their contents, and parents would need to supervise their children's use.

The board also discussed operational details: there are three boxes tied to district schools (East High, Bear Creek and Bainbridge), they were originally installed in about 02/2016, and at least one box on campus has a visible placard. The administration will check registration status, add disclaimers, and advise whether staff or volunteers who steward the boxes must do so on their own time to maintain separation from district endorsement.

The board's action resolved the immediate question of whether the boxes would be removed for violating Policy 109. It left open follow-up items for administration, including solicitor review and signage language, and clarified that any district oversight or student involvement would be voluntary and outside of formal district endorsement.

The board adjourned after completing other business; the directive to implement disclaimers and consult counsel is expected to return to administration for action over the summer.