Parents, students, and teachers rallied ahead of the Central Bucks School District’s vote to remove books perceived to have sexualized content from their libraries outside the district’s headquarters in Doylestown on July 26, 2022. (
Kimberly Paynter / WHYY
Kimberly Paynter / WHYY
Parents, students, and teachers rallied ahead of the Central Bucks School District’s vote to remove books perceived to have sexualized content from their libraries outside the district’s headquarters in Doylestown on July 26, 2022. (
After months of outcry from parents, employees, students, and the ACLU Pennsylvania, the Central Bucks School Board on Tuesday passed a new library book policy that many are viewing as a book ban.
The board voted 6-3 in favor of the policy, which aims to keep books that a yet-to-be-determined group might deem “inappropriate” for unspecified “sexualized content” out of school libraries. It also opens the door for community members to challenge books they find inappropriate. Books that make it through the challenge process would be removed from library shelves.
The policy is unprecedented for Pennsylvania, according to the American Library Association.
“We did not have a problem in CBSD. This policy creates a problem,” said board member Tabitha Dell’Angelo, who opposed the policy.
Michaela, a sophomore student at Central Bucks West High School, said at first they feared speaking out about removing books deemed sexualized from district schools’ libraries, at a rally ahead of the Central Bucks School District’s vote to remove books perceived to have sexualized content from their libraries on July 26, 2022.
About 100 community members, parents, teachers, librarians, and students rallied before the board meeting in a last-ditch effort to plead with the board to not pass the policy.
They were joined by representatives from the NAACP of Bucks County, ACLU Pennsylvania, the Education Law Center, and PFLAG Bucks County.
Julie Zaebst, senior policy advocate for ACLU Pennsylvania, said the policy “amounts to censorship and disempowers parents and students.”
“The vagueness of this policy is by design, it’s what allows the superintendent to proclaim, ‘This isn’t a book ban,’ at the same time as we know terrified teachers are removing books with real literary merit from their classroom libraries out of fear.”
Much of the policy is about a review process. It uses vague, undefined terminology for the book selection criteria, including “sexual content” and “implied nudity.”
The vague book selection criteria have left many employees confused about which books they can recommend to be approved. It’s also unclear who will decide which books will make it to the shelves, simply identifying them as “superintendents designees,” and who will review the books that are challenged by community members.
Following the rally, the crowd filled the board room to capacity. Librarians, parents, and students gave public comment, overwhelmingly opposed to the policy.
Chris Kehan has been a district librarian for the past 13 years. She emphasized a concern brought by many: the policy sews distrust of librarians and educators to know what is appropriate for students.
Kimbery Paynter / WHYY
Michelle Wire, parents of 4 (left), and new community member Lori Ary (right), joined a rally to remove books perceived to have sexualized content from their libraries outside the district’s headquarters in Doylestown on July 26, 2022.
Board members Karen Smith, Tabitha Dell’Angelo, and Mariam Mahmud put up a fight against the policy, asking the board to clarify undefined terms and hold it back for another discussion.
But the other board members persisted, charging forward after leaving many community members’ questions unanswered. After the final vote, the crowd immediately yelled “shame, shame,” stood, and dispersed.
Robbin Danko has worked in the district for 35 years, and as a librarian since 2004. She left the board meeting in tears.
“I’m just sad for my students … It’s my thing to rush out and buy all of the books. I go to The Doylestown Bookshop during my prep periods, during my lunch, and I get them on the shelf the same day they come out,” Danko said.
“And I’m just afraid now … because we were told we have to put out our order lists and let everybody review them first. And I’m just afraid it’ll be months and months before those kids who live to read will be able to read.”
Superintendent Abe Lucabaugh, in an interview with WHYY News on Tuesday, stood his ground. He said the policy is not a book ban, but “seeks to identify things that are age-inappropriate.”
When asked how the policy differs from a book ban and what a book ban would look like, Lucabaugh declined to answer, saying he didn’t want to speculate.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
