FLEMING ISLAND- The school board unanimously approved the School Board Procedures Manual for Instructional Resources to clarify which books are allowed to be on school library shelves.

The vote was in response to House Bill 1467, which was approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, that requires each school board to define its rules for training media personnel, reviewing and approving all books and publications. Part of this means the public and parents getting involved in the process.

The bill was approved to identify the objective material and list those which were removed. In the Clay County School District, 383 books have been pulled from the shelves. Eleven parent volunteers helped by reading any disputed books.

The bill also seeks to increase public participation in the transparency of selections and website availability of all instructional materials before purchase.

The instructional materials were once again a central point of discussion during the public comment, with many residents and students lamenting the selection and removal process for the books, along with steps necessary for books to resurface on library shelves.

The board also approved the advertising of a notice for a public hearing for a policy that would designate the use of gender-specific bathrooms/restrooms, locker rooms and dressing rooms. In the policy, “biological sex” is defined as “the sex assigned to a particular student at birth.”

The proposed policy also allows for a reasonable alternative for those that request the consideration for any reason.

The public hearing will be held during the School Board’s June 1 meeting.