Community protests book‑removal policy as district confirms lawsuits from Education Minnesota and ACLU

Saint Francis Area Schools confirmed at its March 24 board meeting that the district has received lawsuits from Education Minnesota and the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota challenging district policy 606.5, and officials said district attorneys are reviewing the filings.

The statement, read at the start of the meeting by the district, said lawyers were reviewing the documents and that “we will not be making any public comments regarding the details of the lawsuits at this time,” adding that there would be no agenda discussion of policy 606.5 that evening.

Why it matters: The policy and its implementation have led to the removal of multiple titles from school libraries and to a local backlash. More than 30 people signed up to speak in the meeting’s public comment period; speakers included students, teachers, librarians, authors and residents who gave conflicting views about whether the district should continue using an external book‑rating website and how decisions about library collections should be made.

Dozens of residents urged the board to return control over selection and challenge processes to local librarians, parents and district officials rather than relying on a third‑party ratings site. Julian Kelcher, senior class president, told the board, “To ban books is to strike away the…