Perkiomen Valley board adopts tighter library-materials policy after debate over an automatically downloaded e-book

The Perkiomen Valley School District Board voted to adopt revised Policy 109 on library materials after debate over how the district will implement new review steps for automatically supplied e-books. The policy change, approved by voice vote during the governance portion of the meeting, tightens review of materials the administration says could contain graphically explicit content.

The issue came to the fore when administrators said an automatically downloaded graphic novel that would violate the revised language was briefly active in the district e-book system and was later pulled. Superintendent Dr. Russell told the board that "the policy is now active after the board takes action on the item tonight" and explained the subscription model: "We subscribe to ebooks. We don't pick them. They are automatically downloaded," and that librarians receive a list they can review and remove titles if needed.

Why the title appeared and then disappeared prompted questions from board member Mr. Sailor, who asked whether the e-book had been available after November and whether it was removed because of his email, noting the book in question had been in the district’s catalog for a period and then "was removed 2 days after my email." Dr. Russell said he could not confirm that the email was the cause and described the timing as a process issue: "There needs to be some timing. The list comes out, boom, the books are downloaded. So we need to work out that time so that we avoid such downloads." He added, "It was downloaded as an ebook, and once it was reviewed... it was eliminated."

Board members pressed for a clearer operational control over subscription content. Several said librarians historically have removed downloaded titles as part of routine weeding but that the new policy requires better coordination so materials do not go live before review. A board member suggested a stop-gap mechanism — "a dam of sorts that holds the books back until they can actually give it the all clear" — and administrators agreed to work on better timing and notification of lists before automatic activation.

During public comment, attendees expressed strong feelings on both sides of the library debate. A registered speaker who identified herself as "Kim Mayer, Schuylkill Township" urged careful attention to the tax rate but also raised concerns broadly about district decisions; a later commenter, Kimera Skipback, praised the current form of Policy 109 and pressed the board: "My question is who's running the district? Our school board or PSBA?" That question framed part of the public frustration and the board’s discussion about outside recommendations and local control.

Board members who supported the revised policy emphasized compromise and process: Dr. Kampley said he does not "believe in book banning" but that committee work produced a middle ground he could support and that "we'll probably have to revisit this over time and iron kinks out as they pop up." Mr. Sailor said he advocated for the language for two years and remains concerned about implementation specifics such as how MCIU-curated catalog additions are appended to the district database.

The board’s immediate decision was procedural — adoption of the revised policies — but members and administrators left the meeting with a clear action item: develop concrete steps for oversight of subscription e-books, including a timely review of vendor lists before titles become active and clearer pathways for community challenges when disagreements arise.

The policies were approved during the governance votes later in the meeting; the board recorded the adoption by voice vote and moved on to the remaining agenda items.