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Trustee withdraws vote on proposed school library advisory committee; parents urge librarians' authority
Summary
Trustee Chrissy Hester withdrew a proposed resolution on establishing a School Library Advisory Committee (SLAC) pending more review. Multiple parents and community members urged the board to preserve librarian authority over collection development and to consider the option that keeps control with certified librarians.
Chrissy Hester, a member of the College Station ISD Board of Trustees, told colleagues Aug. 7 that she had removed from the agenda a proposed resolution to establish a School Library Advisory Committee under Senate Bill 13 and will bring the matter back to the Aug. 19 meeting.
Hester said rapid timing from the legislature and a desire to confer with librarians, TASB (Texas Association of School Boards) advisors and other districts led her to pull the item for more review. She provided trustees two options to consider: an "Option 1" approach that leaves selection and reconsideration authority with certified librarians and adds board approval steps required by law, and an "Option 2" that would establish a SLAC with a defined role making recommendations to the board.
Several members of the public urged trustees not to create a committee that would curtail librarians’ professional judgment. Parent speakers described libraries as safe places that expand students’ perspectives and said librarians are trained to develop age-appropriate collections. A parent speaker, Lisa Martinez, asked trustees to preserve both state-law options that allow either forming a SLAC after a petition or relying on existing library procedures without a standing committee.
A children's book author and other residents urged the board to avoid additional barriers that could delay acquisition of popular, high-interest books for students. Speakers cited reports from other districts that SLAC-type structures have, in some cases, slowed acquisitions or led to reduced purchasing.
Hester said the board must act on Senate Bill 13 requirements before Sept. 1 but chose to delay a vote to allow more time for district staff and trustees to evaluate Option 1 (no SLAC) versus Option 2 (establish SLAC). She reminded trustees that state law also creates a petition path: if 50 parents (or 10% if that number is fewer in a district) petition to form a committee, the district must establish one and that committee would only make recommendations — the board retains decision authority.
The item will return to the board agenda Aug. 19 with both options and additional materials, Hester said. Trustees and staff said they will share more information with librarians and the public before the next meeting.
Public comments during the hearing of citizens — which preceded the agenda presentation — formed much of the record: residents expressed concern about possible restrictions on library collections and urged the district to rely on trained librarians unless the board determines otherwise.
