The Cedarville, Arkansas, school board voted August 19 against a policy change that would have taken away district librarians’ authority to choose books. Under the proposed change, the principal and superintendent would have reviewed all books recommended for purchase by the librarian, with the school board having final veto power over selections.
Board member Mark Hodges motioned to accept the proposal, saying it called for accountability. But others on the five-member board said librarians were trained to decide what books belong in the library and should be allowed to do their jobs, the Fort Smith Southwest Times Record reported August 20.
“The process we have has been a pretty good process, and parents still have the right to contest a book that is in the library,” board member Mike Shumard said.
In July the parents of a Cedarville 4th-grader filed a federal lawsuit challenging the school board’s placement of the Harry Potter series on a restricted borrowing list. The case is pending.
Posted August 26, 2002.