After months of tumultuous debate, the Pine-Richland School Board voted 5-4 Monday night to pass a new library policy, amid outcry from community members who have labelled it a “book ban.”
The policy places the final power to add or remove district library books in the hands of the school board rather than the Pine-Richland superintendent. It went into effect immediately after the vote.
Previously, the district formed a committee for the review of 14 books challenged by parents in 2023, many of which focused on LGBTQ characters.
The committee offered recommendations to Superintendent Brian Miller, who ultimately recommended that the titles remain. Last year, board members started to revise the library policy to give themselves the final say on books. The policy has been criticized by opponents for its definitions of terms like “pervasive vulgarity” and “explicit sexual content” and a 30-day waiting period for residents to challenge new books before they can be shelved.
The March 17 meeting was the culmination of the board’s efforts and came after numerous lengthy and embittered meetings, one of which dragged on for nearly seven hours.
Though board member Amy Terchick offered some last-ditch amendments to the policy, the board majority pressed on and approved the third and final read of the new policy.
Christina Brussalis, Michael Wiethorn, Leslie Miller, Phillip Morrissette and Lisa Hillman voted in favor of the new policy. Terchick, Ashley Fortier, Marc Casciani and Joe Cassidy voted against it.
Often absent from recent meetings, numerous supporters of the board majority appeared for the vote, lauding the efforts of the five during the drawn-out process.
Eli Santiago, a local resident, thanked the board for keeping its campaign promises. He said he did not view the policy as a book ban but rather a “judicious use of judgment” for excluding potentially inappropriate texts.
But many familiar community members showed out yet again in opposition to the board majority and the policy. Jennifer Beuse, a regular speaker who opposes the majority, even came equipped with a yard sign reading “No Book Bans Here.”
John Folino, a Pine-Richland senior, said he supported the notion of parental rights, something many board members ran on, but questioned the intention of the policy and what he called the “flimsy” pretext of book challenges that brought it forward.
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“The entire premise of proposing restrictions on books based on whatever beliefs anyone has is profoundly counterintuitive,” he said.
Members of the divided audience, who filled nearly every seat in the room, alternatively jeered and applauded throughout the meeting. Mumbled debates and turmoil could sometimes be heard among residents during more tense moments.
Before the vote, Ashley Fortier — a consistent opposition voice on the board — offered an extended statement about the long process. She said the results of board votes often felt “predetermined” and criticized the treatment of teachers and librarians.
“A bad policy limits our ability to have exceptional educational experiences. Not every book in the library is for every student, but every student should have books that speak to them,” she said.
After the meeting Morrissette, the board president, said the process had been “long, hard work,” and Brussalis said she was “happy” to see it passed. Casciani, who said he supported giving the board final say with minor adjustments to the prior policy, said he ultimately concluded the new one went “too far” with its definitions and board involvement.
It is unclear how the board will wield its new power or what exactly its review process will look like. But according to Chris Cafardi, an attorney and Pine-Richland parent, it is “guaranteed” to be challenged.
Cafardi said he plans to donate 10-15 books to the district, some of which may focus on LGBTQ characters or “issues of race.” In considering these titles, he said he expects the board to “unevenly apply” its book standards for different classes of people.
In the case of a legal battle, Cafardi said he expects the Pennsylvania branch of the ACLU, with which he has been in contact, to become involved.
The vote also comes about two months ahead of the May 20 primary elections, where four board seats will be up for the taking. The school district is divided into three regions, which each elect three members to the board.
This year, Terchick and Brussalis of Region 2 and Cassidy of Region 3 are up for reelection, but Hillman of Region 1 did not file a petition to run again.
At least two non-incumbent candidates in each region, one of whom is Cafardi’s wife, Amy, have also filed petitions to run in the primaries. Almost all of them petitioned to be listed on both Democratic and Republican ballots.