Hempfield school board passes book policy
Revision gives public chance for first review
Potential new books coming into Hempfield Area School District libraries will first go through a public review period before going on school shelves, school directors determined Monday after passing several revisions to the district’s book policy.
The amendment, which passed in a 7-1 vote, requires librarians to submit a public list of requested books for a 30-day review. That will allow residents to raise concerns about any of the proposed books.
School Director Jeanne Smith voted against the proposal; Diane Ciabattoni was absent.
It is the latest proposal by the school board as they work through a year-and-a-half-long debate first sparked by a small group of parents concerned over what they called sexually explicit materials in the high school library.
“From my perspective we have had a thorough and thoughtful process,” board President Paul Ward said Monday. “We’re never going to get to a point right now where everyone’s going to agree. For myself, I want to see how this policy will work going forward. We can adjust as needed going forward but we’ve been spinning our wheels for 18 months.”
Discussions around library books first started in March 2022 when some parents questioned “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, which chronicles the author’s journey growing up as a queer Black man. “The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person” by Frederick Joseph was also challenged. The book discusses Mr. Joseph’s experiences with racism.
Since those initial challenges, the board’s policy committee has worked to create a plan that would satisfy parents with differing opinions while ensuring students have access to necessary materials.
The latest changes to the district’s policy around the selection of resource materials include defining sexual content as “offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated,” as well as ethnic intimidation.
It also lays out the additional step for librarians.
“In selecting resource materials for high school students, the selectors shall seek to prioritize the selection of materials which do not contain other sexualized content, even though permitted, such as visual depictions of nudity,” the proposed revisions read.
Once librarians post the list of requested books for 30-day review — which will be publicized as a report not requiring board action — district residents are able to comment. After a review period, the assistant superintendent would share whether those books would be purchased.
In addition to making changes to the district’s book policy, school directors also tweaked the policy for re-evaluating resource materials. That policy will now require that students placed on the reconsideration committee be 18 years old and have parent permission.
Monday’s vote marked some of the most substantial changes made to the policy since discussions first started. But it drew conflicting comments from township residents.
Paula Cinti, who first challenged “All Boys Aren’t Blue” last year, suggested that a vote for the policy changes “will protect our minor children from past and future obscene criminal material.” Ms. Cinti is listed as vice chair of the Westmoreland County chapter of Mom’s For Liberty, a conservative, parents-rights organization that has made headlines for leading efforts to ban books it deems inappropriate from school libraries.
Suzanne Ward agreed, suggesting that having certain books in the school library makes her question sending her child to the district in future years.
“These children need protected and they do not need groomed; they do not need materials such as this,” Ms. Ward said.
But several speakers spoke against changing the book policy.
Melissa Moyer suggested that school directors need to put aside their personal beliefs and politics.
“The false narratives must stop,” Ms. Moyer said. “No one is putting pornography or obscene material in the high school library. Our staff and librarians devote countless hours to carefully choose books from professional reviews and resources with relevancy and age appropriateness.”
Others stressed that one group of parents should not have the power to dictate what all students read by prohibiting certain books from being in school libraries.
Sakura Okuri touted the importance of children having access to different types of literature. He stressed that books are mirrors and windows that start conversations.
“If we really want to strive for the excellence of all the students … we need to give them every opportunity to have these discussions, every opportunity to see these books, to see these mirrors and to see these windows,” Mr. Okuri said. “By stifling that, what we’re doing is stifling their voices.”