Kenmore board directs superintendent to draft library-materials review policy based on ALA guidelines

At its July 1 meeting the Kenmore Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District Board of Education voted unanimously to direct Superintendent Sabatino Sumato to draft a policy that would create a building-level process for handling challenges to library materials.

Board members said the proposed approach would preserve existing family opt-out rights while creating a review pathway led by library media specialists and grounded in American Library Association (ALA) recommendations. The motion to direct the superintendent was made by Trustee Floss and seconded by Trustee Karen Whitelaw; the board carried the motion unanimously.

Superintendent Sumato summarized the committee’s recommendations and emphasized the role of the library media specialist in the proposed process. He said parents already have an opt-out option for library materials via a district Google form and that the committee’s priority concerns have arisen in high schools. “If the librarian says yes, this is what I followed, my recommendation would be then it's over,” Sumato said, describing the proposed threshold for additional review. He added that if a librarian cannot certify that ALA-guided selection procedures were followed, “then the discussion ensues and we take it from there.”

Trustees said option 2 — creating a specific library-materials review process led by trained librarians, with ALA guidance as the selection standard — was the most comprehensive choice. Board members repeatedly affirmed that the measure applies to non-instructional library materials and that parents retain the ability to opt individual students out of specific library items.

Next steps: the board’s direction instructs the superintendent to form a draft policy reflecting option 2 and return it for a first reading at the next board meeting. The board did not amend district policy language at the meeting; it approved referral to administration for development.

Context: The discussion followed a committee review and public exchange earlier in the spring. The ALA guidance was cited as the recommended professional standard for librarians’ selection practice, and district staff noted the process would prioritize review at the building level rather than a district-wide removal procedure.