Council Rock Can’t Ignore the Threat of Book Bans

At the October 23 Council Rock School Board meeting, Director Bob Hickey reminded the public that board members have no say over which books are placed in or removed from school libraries. While that’s technically true under the current policy, the board does have authority over curriculum books—and the library policy itself could easily be changed by a future board majority.

At a recent Policy Committee meeting, Superintendent Dr. Sanko confirmed that before his administration took office, a parent challenged a book that was then reviewed through the district’s formal process. The district’s review committee recommended the book remain in the library, yet the acting superintendent overruled that recommendation and removed it. That decision disregarded educators’ professional judgment—and, by definition, was a book ban.

Even without formal authority, school boards strongly influence how administrators respond to book challenges. When the priority becomes avoiding controversy rather than upholding educational standards, book access—and students’ freedom to read—are at risk.

That’s why the record of current and aspiring board members matters. Directors Bob Hickey and Mike Roosevelt have repeatedly voted against curriculum books recommended by Council Rock educators, and both—along with candidate Hedy Ranieri—have ties to Moms for Liberty, the leading organization known for organizing book challenges and bans nationwide.

Council Rock deserves leaders who trust educators and keep politics out of our classrooms and our libraries.