Public commenters press RSU 11/MSAD 11 school board on curriculum and library books

Public commenters raised sharp objections to district instruction and library materials during the RSU 11/MSAD 11 school board meeting on April 2.

Timothy Bodnar of St. Albans used his allotted two minutes to tell the board he opposes teaching young children about sexuality and accused some board members of treating conservative members unfairly. "You don't like our ideas. You don't like the fact that our ideas are different than yours," Bodnar said, adding that parents and some community members face retaliation when they speak up.

Nicholas Blanchard described a complaint brought to him by a parent whose kindergartner checked out a picture book that depicts two men kissing. "You tell me why a five-year-old needs to see this," Blanchard said, urging the district to limit access for very young children and to ensure parents are notified when sensitive items circulate in school libraries.

The chair read the board's pre-public-comment script at the start of the item, reminding speakers that state law requires a public comment period but that the period "is not designed to be a discussion" and that the board will not answer questions during the two-minute remarks. The script also reiterated policy BEDH limits on comments about personnel, student privacy and medical information.

Board members did not debate or rule on the issues raised during public comment at the meeting. After the public-comment slot ended the board moved on to its scheduled agenda items, including presentations and votes.

Next steps: The record shows the concerns were raised in public comment only; the board did not take formal action on library or curriculum policies at the April 2 meeting.