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Board retains Epic digital library and approves 'Fly on the Wall' for high school reading
Summary
After public comment and a committee review, the USD 231 Board approved keeping Epic Books as a curricular resource in the district and voted to allow the novel Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart in high school classrooms/libraries.
The USD 231 Board of Education approved keeping the Epic Books digital library as a curricular resource for USD 231 and voted to approve the novel Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart for high school use following a book committee recommendation and public comment.
Amanda Bird, librarian at Gardner Edgerton High School, spoke during public comment in favor of retaining Epic Books, a digital library used in the district’s elementary ELA curriculum. Bird said Epic provides access to leveled, bilingual and audio titles, supports differentiated instruction, and is a cost-effective way to provide thousands of titles to students who may not have books at home. Bird urged the board to preserve Epic as a resource and cautioned against removing digital content that supports teachers and equitable access.
Bird also urged the board not to remove Fly on the Wall from the high school, arguing it is a coming-of-age novel that addresses self-identity, body image and adolescent challenges and that removing books because they make some people uncomfortable sets a precedent for broader censorship.
The book review committee presented its recommendation on Fly on the Wall; a board member described the committee’s work and recommended the book for high school. The board approved the committee recommendation and voted to retain Epic Books as part of the consent agenda. No board member recorded opposition during the votes reported in the transcript.
District staff and board members said parents retain the right to guide their own child’s reading choices, but committee and staff recommendations support the book’s availability at the high school level and the continued use of Epic Books in elementary curriculum planning.
No changes to library access were announced beyond the committee’s recommendation and the district’s vote to keep Epic Books in its curricular resources.
