Alta library, school district torn over book banCity pulls in state group as school starts to draw red lines

Alta city officials remain at loggerheads with the school district over banning books, and will consult a state association on next steps over their shared library. Two things were made clear at Monday’s school board meeting: the school board will comply with SF496, which bans all mentions of sexual content and gender identity for students up to the sixth grade; and the community library will continue to provide “intellectual information” to the public. Now, the Alta Library Board will consult the Iowa Library Association and the city attorney on how to approach new legislation.  “We're to the point where we're going to have some higher authorities come in,” Alta Library Board President Bruce Hinkeldey told the school board. “(The city attorney and state library association) are on hand to help us with our discussions to see what we, as a public library can and cannot do, or should and shouldn't do in order to keep providing books to our patrons as well as keeping the school district in compliance with the new law.”  Hinkeldey and Gigi Nelson, a library board member and former school board president, told the A-A school board that they will have this discussion at 5:15 p.m. Thursday at the Alta Community Library for guidance from city and state officials. The city had discussions about possibly building a new library if the 28E agreement between both entities had to be dissolved at the end of July. No action from the school board was taken on this issue. As a temporary measure, the students won’t have access to the library, Alta-Aurelia Supt. Denny Olhausen said. Instead, the school will provide books to students that “we know are safe for them to have.”   “But they won't have access to that library because of some of the materials that couldn't be in there that students shouldn't have access to,” Olhausen said. “I think it's important and imperative (to understand) that the clock is ticking and we need to get to this as soon as we possibly can.” Since the legislation, the school district and the city are nearing a split over library materials that mention sex and LBGTQ topics.  It’s “uncharted waters,” Nelson said of navigating the legislation. The district and the City of Alta have been at odds over materials that students and Alta citizens can access.   The city has asserted that its library’s collections will be as open as possible. The district must comply with SF496.  It’s still unclear which books in the shared library are banned and if the books can be moved to another section or if they have to be completely removed from the library. It’s also uncertain whether high schoolers can access the material depicting sex — they can access material mentioning LGBTQ. Religious material that mentions sex or sexual orientation is the only exception. “It’s also pretty difficult — we talked as an administrative staff of how do you give some guidance to your teachers on what’s age appropriate, what’s sexual content?” Olhausen asked. “We’ve got to give them something so that they’re aware of what to be looking for in the books within their own classroom.” The Department of Education hasn’t specified the penalties for those who fail to abide by the new legislation. The only guidance provided is that “municipalities consult with their legal counsel if they have questions about the new law.” “It makes it kind of a shell of a legislation,” Nelson told the school board. “And it sounds like a big arm of the government to come in and judging the situation for educators.  “But on the other hand, it's also pretty indefinite about how it's gonna really benefit kids. Does it benefit kids?” Local legislators voted for the law. Sen. Lynn Evans, the former superintendent of Alta-Aurelia, said discussions of sex and gender should be discussed only between students and their parents. Evans voted for the bill.  “We've got to take a broad spectrum at it and not be finite in our working it out,” said Olhausen, who noted teachers who violate the law could be subject to professional sanctions from the board of educational examiners. “I think we've got to protect our staff and we're trying to give them guidance. I think that's why the state hasn't given guidance; I do think they want local control to determine that.” The public is invited to attend the library board meeting at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday at the community library. A resolution to the controversy is expected soon. The city and school district have expressed a willingness to continue sharing the library, but at a recent city council meeting council members discussed the possibility of building a new library.