BELLBROOK — Bellbrook High School’s library is currently closed to students as the school board reviews all books for appropriateness.
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The decision to close the library comes as part of a new policy by the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek School District, which aims to ensure that all books available to students are appropriate.
This policy requires parental approval for certain books, allowing parents to control what their children can access.
“Just means that, in order to check out that book, they need to have a parental thumbs up,” explained a school official.
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“We provided a very easy way for parents to do that at the beginning of the school year.” Margaret Dempsey, a parent in Bellbrook, stated, “They don’t need a book. They need to talk to mom and dad. And let the parents choose what is best for their child.”
The process of reviewing the books is expected to take some time, as school officials must evaluate each book individually.
This has raised concerns among some parents who attended a recent board meeting.
One parent suggested finding a middle ground, saying, “We can come together on middle ground on something, and the middle ground is, don’t close the library.”
The school board’s policy has sparked a debate within the community, with some parents supporting the idea of parental control over book access, while others worry about the impact of the library’s closure on students’ education.
The Bellbrook High School library will reopen once all books have been reviewed and labeled as appropriate or inappropriate for students.
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