BCS reinstates online library after months of debate

After months of public comment both in support and against an online library used by students and educators in Buncombe County, the Buncombe County Board of Education voted unanimously to reinstate Epic! Creations Inc. software during its Feb. 13 meeting.

The controversy began last year when local members of the Moms for Liberty, a political organization that advocates against school curricula that mention LGBTQ+ rights, critical race theory and other issues, took issue with some titles available to students and educators in the 40,000-book online library. 

In September, Jennifer Reed, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction, told Xpress that the free web-based resource would still be available for teachers to use in their curriculum, but the district decided to limit students’ access to the Epic! digital library, which is geared toward elementary-age students, because of the program’s lack of a filter.

In January, the Media and Technology Committee (MTAC) gathered to develop recommendations for the online library. The committee voted in support of reinstating Epic! for student use; it also voted to include a set of guidelines for school staff members to follow as they support the student use of Epic!. The guidelines, which at the request of the committee, were drafted by the curriculum department, have been reviewed and endorsed by MTAC, according to a staff report from BCS.

Advocates in support and against reinstating the library again spoke out during public comment. 

“The law of common sense also says for schools and libraries to take away all the books that promote transgenderism and transgender ideology because most of them — or all of them — contain pornography,” said retired pastor Brad Camper. Camper did not say whether he had children in the district. “I think a lot of the books that teach transgenderism are causing psychological problems for many kids. They’re having troubles psychologically because they’re wondering about gender.”

Craig White, who works as the supportive schools director for the Campaign for Southern Equality, shot back at that notion and encouraged board members to consider the mental health and safety of the district’s transgender students when weighing library access. 

“Students should see themselves reflected in the books that they read as in a mirror, and books should offer a window into the lives of people and families different than their own,” said White during public comment. “In the past three weeks, the federal government has in fact gone to war against transgender children, and school board members like yourselves are on the front lines of that defense.”

BCS reinstates former Title IX policy 

During the meeting, board members also voted to rescind the 2024 version of the district’s Title IX reporting and grievance policies after multiple lawsuits spanning several states challenged the new regulations. According to The Associated Press, the 2024 rules expanded Title IX civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ students, as well as the definitions of sexual harassment at schools and colleges, and added safeguards for victims. 

On Jan. 9, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky sided with the plaintiffs challenging the new regulations, effectively vacating the 2024 Title IX regulations nationwide. The board simultaneously voted to reinstate the 2020 version of the Title IX policies, which have a narrower definition of Title IX protections and procedures.

This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.