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Lafayette Public Library Board Sparks Controversy

Members of Lafayette Public Library Board sparked controversy in a meeting Wednesday night.
Posted at 10:25 PM, Feb 15, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-17 18:03:24-05

Members of the Lafayette Public Library Board held a meeting filled with many controversial opinions and parents, that weren't afraid to speak up.

The meeting took place on Wednesday evening at the Lafayette Public Library's main branch.

After three and a half hours of public discussions, the board announced all library cards will be unrestricted, unless parents choose to opt-in for restrictions, limiting their child's access to certain books.

Melanie Brevie is a former librarian and a mother to a 10-year-old. She said she doesn't believe the board should be in charge of parental rights.

"First of all, I'm just confused because it seems like we're trying to apply movie standards to books," Brevie said. "And, from what I understand, I can drop my 13-year-old off to Barnes & Noble and they would be allowed to check out or purchase any book they wanted without having to show any kind of I.D."

Others argue that there are books in the library's children section now that are necessary for sex education.

One attendee announced, "Restricting kids from comprehensive sex education only hurts our community."

According to Robert Judge, President of the Lafayette Public Library Board, this discussion was exactly what the community needs.

"While it may be messy, somebody said that before, you go to Congress and you watch how they pass a bill," Judge said. "It's messy. But democracy is messy. It's a messy experiment."

To listen to the audio recording of Wednesday evening's Lafayette Public Library meeting, click here: https://bit.ly/40ZsXzL