Several residents used the Jan. 12 public-comment period at the Lowell Area Schools Board meeting to press the district on classroom-library materials and how parents can limit student access.

One commenter spoke at length and read passages she described as graphic, then asked trustees for a yes-or-no on whether that material is appropriate for a school library. The speaker — identified only in the transcript as a public commenter — said excerpts described sexual acts and said she opposed the book’s presence in a school library.

Mark Blanding, who identified himself and offered his address, defended the district’s library program, calling many criticisms "completely unfounded," and noted that legal processes govern book removal. "Books can only be removed by certain processes," Blanding told the board, adding that recent reviews had overwhelmingly deemed challenged books appropriate.

District staff responded during the superintendent’s report. Superintendent Mister Bauer acknowledged the district does not have a systematic catalog for classroom libraries and encouraged teacher–family communication in the absence of such a system. "You are correct in saying we don't have a systematic approach to cataloging those," he said, and added that the district has purchasing processes and mechanisms to classify library material.

Curriculum lead Mister Goff said the district moved a reader-advisory list to the district website in November and that a Destiny update now includes a parent portal allowing parents to view their students’ library accounts and set limits. "Parents would be able to see what their students have checked out... and will also be able to set their own limits," Goff said, and he said staff will notify families through building newsletters.

Why it matters
The exchange highlights a recurring local debate about library collections, transparency and parental control. Trustees balanced calls for more systematic classroom-library cataloging with reminders that the district already maintains formal processes for challenges and that new software features will give parents more direct control over students’ borrowing.

What’s next
Superintendent Bauer and staff said they will continue communications with parents, publicize the Destiny parent-portal instructions in building newsletters and introduce the recommended director of student services at a future meeting.