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Board solicitor tells Pennsauken trustees the Freedom to Read Act will require new library-challenge policies
Summary
At the Dec. 16 meeting, Board Solicitor Mr. Li told the Pennsauken Board that the Freedom to Read Act has passed and will take effect in one year, requiring boards to adopt policies for addressing library material complaints; he also raised proposed drone-flight legislation and a lawsuit over newspaper notice definitions.
Board Solicitor Mr. Li told the Pennsauken Township Board of Education on Dec. 16 that the Freedom to Read Act has been passed and will take effect in one year, and that boards of education will be required to adopt policies to handle challenges to library materials.
Mr. Li also briefed trustees on proposed legislation that would ban drone flights over school properties and noted a pending lawsuit that seeks clarification on which publications qualify as newspapers for the purpose of public notices, a development that could affect how boards publish legal meeting notices.
Why it matters: The solicitor’s update flags impending legal and administrative obligations for the district — adopting compliant library-review policies, monitoring aviation-related legislation that could affect school safety protocols, and tracking litigation that may change notice requirements for public meetings.
What the board will do next: The solicitor’s remarks were informational; the packet and minutes show no formal policy actions at this meeting specifically adopting a Freedom to Read Act policy. Board staff and counsel will need to prepare policy proposals and compliance plans ahead of the statute’s effective date.
No formal board action recorded at the meeting to adopt any new policy; the report was entered into the record as solicitor guidance.
