Fairbanks school board adopts revised Article 6 after heated public hearing on library materials
Summary
After more than two hours of public testimony mostly about school library materials, the Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board approved the second half of Article 6 (instruction policies) on second reading, including a narrowly-drafted amendment to require staff be included in crisis communications.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board voted Dec. 2 to adopt the second half of Article 6, a package of instructional policies that replaces parts of the district curriculum chapter after a public hearing that focused largely on school library materials.
The board's vote came after extended public testimony both defending librarians’ selection processes and urging stricter controls on certain books. Nikki Eiseman, a former district librarian, told the board she supports the district’s existing administrative regulation for review and reevaluation, saying the “review and evaluation policy worked” when a challenged book was moved from a middle to a high school collection. By contrast, several other community members named individual titles and described them as inappropriate for school shelves; some urged opt-in policies or removal. Robert Herrick alleged a separate district social-media post about a superintendent award was misleading and asked the board to investigate that communication.
The measure the board adopted included at least one amendment passed earlier in the evening: members voted to change BP 6.114’s crisis communication language so the superintendent or designee will develop and maintain a plan for “communicating with staff and parents/guardians during a crisis.” Board members discussed and rejected a separate motion to pull the library policy (BP 61.63.1) out of the package for separate consideration.
Administration told the board the packet replaces most of chapter 10 and that only a single clarifying change was made since first reading (a sentence in BP 6.161.1 clarifying the supplemental materials that require board approval). Superintendent Doctor Minor noted that any operational details — for example, how produce from school gardens is handled or how livestock operations would comply with health rules — would be implemented through administrative regulations and procedures, which the board said would be consulted as needed.
Public testimony at the hearing included both detailed procedural defenses of librarians’ work and direct allegations about specific titles. Testifiers on both sides emphasized parental choice and student access. The board’s debate balanced those concerns with caution about legal exposure: several trustees referenced recent litigation in other districts and the First Amendment when discussing opt-in/opt-out models for library access.
The board concluded the policy package would take effect as official district policy; administration was asked to follow up on implementation details through ARs and to provide clarity to families about how they may register preferences for a student’s access to library materials.
Votes at a glance
- Motion: Adopt second reading and adoption of Article 6 (BP 6.114 and BP 6.161.1 through BP 6.190). Outcome: Approved (motion carried). - Motion: Add “staff” to crisis communications language in BP 6.114. Outcome: Approved (amendment carried). - Motion: Separate library policy BP 61.63.1 from the package for separate consideration. Outcome: Failed (motion to separate did not pass).
What happens next
The district will publish the updated policies and is expected to develop or revise administrative regulations to clarify implementation steps, appeal and reconsideration procedures for challenged materials, and operational details related to school programs mentioned during debate.
