ROARING SPRING — A policy update that would add a 30-day window for Spring Cove School District board members to review newly purchased library books prior to their being placed into circulation was rejected by the majority of the board in a 5-4 vote during Monday’s meeting.

Without the board’s approval, policy 109, titled “Resource Materials,” will remain unchanged. The original policy states that “the board shall, by an affirmative vote of a majority of the full board, provide resource materials that implement, support and enrich the educational program of district schools.”

The updated policy would have expanded upon the policy’s final sentence, which states that a list of those materials would be made available to all board members, “district staff, students, parents/guardians and community members,” by having library books available for board members to read prior to their being placed into circulation at district schools.

Board members John Biddle, Chuck Gojmerac, Amy Acker-Knisely, Linda Smith and Troy Wright voted against approving the policy update, while Gretchen Bettwy, Misti Fisher, Andrea Moses and Kevin Smith voted in favor.

There was no discussion prior to the evening’s roll-call vote.

The process began during the board’s Nov. 12, 2024, meeting, when Fisher asked if the board could change the way it voted on book lists so that members could “get to see them before they’re physically placed in the library.”

Fisher said she would like to have the option of removing a book from the list so that it could be voted on separately.

The first reading of the updated policy was approved during the board’s January meeting. Superintendent Betsy Baker said the only change would have been the addition of the 30-day window, and if a board member has an issue with a library book, it would go to the committee.

A vote on approving the adoption of the updated policy died in a 4-4 deadlock tie during the board’s Feb. 18 meeting, at which Gojmerac was absent. The item was added to the March agenda for another vote.

The proposed policy change has sparked months of discussion, with concerns of censorship and age-appropriate content taking center stage.

Martinsburg resident Susan Blanchard addressed the proposed update during the public comment section held earlier in the meeting.

Retired after working in public schools for 35 years, Blanchard told the board that parents had the right to guide their own children’s reading choices, but not what other children read.

“Book censorship in the public schools can create a climate of fear, mistrust and silence, where students may be afraid to express their own ideas,” Blanchard said. “Fear and mistrust often leads to bullying and a belief that one group of students is better than others.”

Blanchard said the school’s responsibility was to educate all of its students in a “nonthreatening and safe environment.”

“Resource materials policy 109 will lead to an unsafe community full of misinformation, mistrust and fear,” Blanchard said.

Virtual days

In other business, the board also approved the use of up to five virtual days, beginning with the 2024-25 school year, in an 8-1 vote. Kevin Smith was the sole “no” vote.

Smith argued against the use of virtual days because the memorandum of agreement with the Spring Cove Education Association was “written consistently with the (flexible instruction day) program, which is law.”

“Simply changing the word from FID day to virtual day doesn’t change the fact that you’re talking about the same program,” Smith said.

Superintendent Betsy Baker said the state Department of Education put out to school districts that “nothing precludes” them from changing the method of instruction from in-person to virtual.

“They’re basically acknowledging to the district that it’s a local decision, and so we’re seeking board approval to go ahead and do that,” Baker said.

By approving the agreement, the district will be able to use its five flexible instruction days, then its five virtual days before moving on to makeup days. Baker said its FID and virtual days were “intentionally” set up to operate the same way to avoid confusion for students, parents and teachers.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.