‘About the book situation.’ York County Council votes to cut library board by 3
The York County Council voted 5-2 Monday night to reduce the library board from 10 members to seven.
Council members gave no clear reason for making the change. However, the library board has been at the center of a recent debate about where some books are placed.
In early May, Councilman Tom Audette said he had received messages from parents concerned about sexually explicit and LGBTQ+ content in the children’s books section of York County public libraries.
When the library board met in June, they denied requests to move some of the books in the children’s section to a different area.
Council members Tom Audette, Allison Love, Tommy Adkins, Debi Cloninger and Council Chair Christi Cox voted in favor of reducing the number of people on the library board. Council members Bump Roddey and Watts Huckabee voted against the reduction.
At least one council member linked Monday evening’s decision with the recent library board action.
And as discussions went on in council chambers, the issue simultaneously surfaced a few miles away as Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis spoke in Tega Cay.
Ron DeSantis raised the library board issue as he spoke to a largely-conservative crowd. He said he hoped York County leaders would side with people who have sought to move books in the county’s public libraries.
What council members had to say
Some council members did openly stat their reason’s for voting the way they did.
Audette, who voted in favor of the reduction, cited public opinion.
“I’ve got parents that are concerned that their kids are coming into an area that’s not safe for them,” Audette said.
Audette urged that books be placed in a separate area of the library if the content focuses on gender identity, sexual orientation, or growth and development.
Council members said such a move could not be labeled as book banning.
“It’s frustrating to me to hear rhetoric about banning the books and having books removed, because I am not for that,” Cloninger said.
Cox said there has been misinformation about aspects of the council’s stance, including library funding.
“We’ve gotten calls accusing us of, ‘why did you defund the library?’ That did not happen. In fact, the library is something that the county has supported. We understand the importance of the library,” Cox said.
Roddey said he believes moving the books to a separate section of the library would result in harm to the children who see themselves in the books.
“We shouldn’t send kids over to another section to read books that they identify with. Why can’t they read beside everyone else’s kids? We’re alienating our kids,” Roddey said.
Roddey and Huckabee said they believe it’s unnecessary to reduce the number of library board members.
The library board is made up of volunteers who are recommended by members of the council. The board meets monthly to set library policies, finances, and other business.
“This is not the time to exclude volunteers,” Roddey said.
“They don’t get paid to do this. At a time where we’re growing to 280,000 people in this county, 42,000 members in each district, how can we say that we don’t want to hear from more people?”
“I think this is coming at the absolute wrong time,” Roddey said. “We say we represent all citizens, and I know in my heart this is about the book situation. There hasn’t even been a legitimate issue given as to why we should reduce this board.”
Love said she is disappointed at how divisive the library board issue has become.
“I believe we could have had a coming together and we could have maybe agreed on something so that nobody had to give up everything,” Love said.
Public addresses to the council
The council also allowed time for the those in the audience to speak.
That time was open for the public to speak about any subject on the docket, but everyone who went to the microphone talked about either books or the library board.
Those who agreed with the council’s decision argued that the community has a moral and religious responsibility to protect children and maintain their innocence.
“God has held mankind accountable for the life and well-being of his dominion, especially little children,” said Tim Steele of Rock Hill.
“As a community, we are accountable to God for the protection of the children of this county.”
Council supporters also said the library board and the decisions made by the council should reflect the beliefs and ideologies of the people they represent.
“My council person was voted in with a large majority in a conservative district,” said Denise Bach of Fort Mill.
“That tells you that conservatives are a very large majority in that district. Yet when I look at the library board, I don’t see anyone on there that appears to represent any conservative values. How can that be since I keep hearing about how we have to be inclusive?”
People against the council’s decision said the government should not act or make decisions from or within a religious focus. Doing so jeopardizes the democratic foundation of the United States.
“When it comes to my children’s education, mental well-being, and ability to thrive in their community, I want the advice of experts,” said Elizabeth Simpson of Fort Mill.
“I want guidance that is based in tangible, demonstrable, fact-based reality. The Bible is irrelevant to the law, as all religious texts should be, because America is not a theocracy.”
Opponents also hold that the council should not be the entity to determine what a child can, or can not, read in the kid’s section of a library. That decision rests solely on the shoulders of the libraries and the parents.
“Library policy clearly states that it is up to the parents to monitor what their children take in in the library,” said Andria Hejl, a Rock Hill educator.
“If someone doesn’t want their child to read a certain book, they don’t have to check it out. Council does not have the right to make that decision for them. Inclusivity matters, and it’s vital that all families are able to find books that represent them.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 3:03 PM.