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Stillwater board hears heated public comment and first reading of new library materials policy
Summary
Three public commenters challenged library purchases they described as sexually explicit; the board’s policy committee presented a first reading of a new mandatory library-materials policy that would formalize selection criteria, a challenge process and reporting to the commissioner of education.
Public comment at a Stillwater Area Public Schools board meeting focused on objections to library materials and what three speakers described as undisclosed distribution of LGBTQIA-themed books in elementary grades.
The board followed public comment with a first reading of proposed policy 606.5, Library Materials, a new mandatory policy staff say is based on legal review and was developed with input from media specialists and the policy committee.
Why it matters: The library policy sets a formal process for initial selection, defines who may request reconsideration, requires a district review committee for contested titles and requires the district to report completed challenges to the Minnesota Department of Education as statutorily required. Board members and staff said the policy is intended to make selection and reconsideration decisions transparent and consistent while protecting instructional discretion.
During public comment Michael McCarthy, Kate Harry and Catherine Hobbs told the board they believed the district was placing sexually explicit or…
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