Public commenters urge board to be 'helpers' and to remove age‑inappropriate library materials

Two public speakers addressed the Pitt County Board of Education during the meeting's public expression period, offering divergent appeals about community responsibility and school library content.

Tricia Werkoff opened public expression by urging community members and board members to act as helpers to children and neighbors, invoking the late television host Fred Rogers as an example of kindness and civic service. "Please join me in being a helper for others to look for and find," Werkoff said.

Later, a speaker identifying herself as Julie Andrews thanked the board for recent actions she characterized as "clean[ing] up our school libraries," including removing some physical books and e-books. She said parents should be informed proactively about materials and argued that items rated for adults should not be available to students. "Parents, first and foremost, are the leaders in this area," Andrews said. She also criticized state-level priorities, saying the state superintendent had made outreach to a youth event while, in her view, academic performance remained a higher priority.

Board policy for public expression, reiterated at the meeting, states the board will listen to comments but will not respond during the public-comment period. The chair noted the board does not censor viewpoints but will not permit naming individual staff members or students during comments.

The public-comment segment included a formal reminder of rules and time limits; no board action followed directly from the remarks during the meeting.

Both speakers’ remarks were recorded in the meeting transcript and presented without board reply.