Local questioners press state board member on librarian accountability; member backs licensing as oversight path

At a community Q&A, a participant pressed Leanne, a state school board member, on whether librarians who place materials later removed as inappropriate should be held accountable. “I think our librarians are unaccountable,” the questioner said, asking whether librarians could be reassigned, demoted or otherwise disciplined.

Leanne replied that employment and disciplinary action are generally roles of local districts, not the state board, but said licensing librarians would change the board’s ability to act. “Oh, I would love that,” she said when asked whether requiring licensed librarians would be acceptable, adding that licensing provides a mechanism for state oversight: “Once they're licensed, we can hold them accountable.”

She noted Park City and Salt Lake school districts already require librarians to be licensed educators, and described practical problems districts face when publishers deliver large unsolicited shipments of books that must be reviewed by volunteers or untrained staff. Leanne framed training and certification as key to ensuring age‑appropriate selections and said districts need mechanisms to screen and manage incoming materials.

The exchange did not produce a new policy; rather, it clarified limits of the state board’s direct employment authority and identified licensing as a potential legislative or district‑level route to expand accountability.