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Residents deliver petition, press board to limit Policy 57.80 to state law after library-access changes
Summary
Multiple parents, students and community members urged the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek board to revise Policy 57.80 to align precisely with Ohio law and to restore high-school library access; one resident presented a petition with 249 signatures.
A group of Bellbrook-Sugarcreek residents and students urged the board on Oct. 9 to revise the district's Policy 57.80 (the so-called 'parents' bill of rights'/library-content policy) to match the Ohio Revised Code and to reduce implementation burdens on teachers and librarians.
Meredith Breininger told the board she collected a letter signed by 249 residents, alumni and students requesting that the board "revise policy 57 80 to the language outlined in the Ohio revised code" and restore normal library access. Breininger said the high-school livestream had technical issues but that she would deliver a paper copy of the petition to the board.
Other speakers echoed concerns about restricted access and the policy's treatment of "gender ideology." Dr. Ridge Mulford, a University of Dayton associate professor and Bellbrook parent, said he trusts teachers and asked the board to consider how the policy advances academic excellence and fiscal responsibility. Greta Schumacher and Allison Busigiani urged that books representing minority and transgender people remain accessible and asked the board to remove or narrow the policy's references to gender ideology.
Superintendent and board comments: a district official (superintendent) stated, to the board's knowledge, no books had been removed from the high school library and said parents at the high-school level retain the ability to opt out for minors. The superintendent also noted that the state law's definition of "sexually explicit" content includes the statutory term "gender ideology," which the district is required to follow. A number of speakers said they had asked for more transparency about which titles were being moved or flagged; the board members provided mixed replies about whether books had been relocated and where they now reside.
Requests for records: Breininger said she had written board members after a prior meeting asking which K-8 titles had been flagged and where they were located; she reported some board members replied and others did not and asked whether she would need to file a formal records request to obtain a list.
Why it matters: multiple speakers framed the issue as one of student access to materials, teacher burden and the scope of local policy versus state law. Several asked the board to adopt an "opt-out" approach at the high school and remove the term "gender ideology" from local policy or, at minimum, to implement only the state law minimums.
Board action: no formal policy change was taken at the meeting. Petitioners asked the board to consider revising Policy 57.80 to match Ohio law and to improve transparency about any materials that have been flagged or moved.
