Committee considers bill requiring districts to post material lists and a complaint process

Concord — House committee members heard extensive testimony on Senate Bill 33, which would require local school boards to adopt and publicly post policies describing materials authorized for student use and outline procedures to address parental complaints alleging material is harmful or age‑inappropriate.

Senator Kevin Avard, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure is designed to give parents a clear, accessible process to raise concerns and to hold locally elected school boards accountable. “If a parent sees that there's material that the students are using, which are extremely offensive … they have a right in this piece of legislation to go to the principal and say, look, I believe this is offensive,” Avard told the committee.

The proposal would require boards to show the material during the public appeal process and give the school board a set timeframe to consider the complaint at a public meeting. Supporters said the requirement for a written justification from the school board — and making that rationale public — gives voters information they can use in local elections.

Opponents warned the bill could impose heavy administrative burdens, invite repeated challenges from single parents, and chill librarians’ professional judgment. Representative Cornell asked whether boards would have to identify every item in libraries and whether the policy would force approval of every book before it could be placed on a shelf. Senator Avard replied the process begins with a principal‑level review and allows an appeal to the school board within a defined timeframe.

Parents who have challenged materials testified about slow and opaque processes. Nancy Biederman of New Boston described a multi‑month review in her district, SAU 19, involving three graphic novels; two were later removed for low circulation rather than because of content. She said police would not review the books she flagged and that the superintendent’s response took months. “There was nothing for me to do as a parent. There was nothing the school board could do to mandate that he reply to me,” Biederman said.

Supporters including Betsy Harrington, who earlier described her own history playing on boys’ hockey teams, said parents need stronger recourse. Critics such as Dave Luna, a former school board member, urged caution and said elected boards already have public comment processes and professional librarians make collection decisions. “Public schools and locally elected school boards are absolutely inherently American products,” Luna said.

Lawmakers questioned administrative workload, how policies would apply across elementary, middle and high school levels, and how districts using shared digital services (for example, e‑book providers) could control content. Senator Avard said the bill aims to increase transparency and accountability and to ensure parents’ concerns are publicly considered.

No committee action was taken at the close of the hearing. Committee members asked for additional drafting clarifications around who lists materials, timeframes for board review, and how the policy should treat library circulation versus classroom instruction.