A high school library book audit continued to stir controversy Monday night in Lehighton Area School District as directors called for Fox Rothschild LLP, the district’s legal firm, to draft a policy developing official procedures for determining the “appropriateness” of certain literature as a resource material.

“We don’t currently have standards in place as far as what is appropriate or not appropriate,” director Sean Gleaves said.

Two weeks ago, Gleaves brought 33 books from the library to a school board meeting which he hoped to have a committee made up of board members, district staff or interested community members, review.

“My intention for initiating this audit is to simply protect the innocence of children,” Gleaves said. “It is my belief that books that contain sexually explicit material should not be in the public education system. Some of the content I found was truly disturbing and there is no excuse that would justify such content to be exposed to a minor without the consent of their parents. These books are grooming children to accept a reality where sexual deviancy is considered normal.”

Until a district policy is drafted, Gleaves said Monday, no books would be qualified as “inappropriate.”

The discussion solicited another round of lengthy public comment Monday night, with parents, students and community members weighing in on both sides.

Jennifer Muntean read an excerpt from the book “Teen Sex” that referenced “threesomes and foursomes” as well as “rainbow parties.” She also read from “101 Questions About Sex and Sexuality,” which she said featured a chapter on masturbation.

“Any educator supporting these books in a public school has shown us who they really are,” Muntean said. “Teachers need to stay in their lane and stick to science, math, etc. If parents want their children to have access to this, they can supply it in their own home.”

Kasara Weinrich, a Lehighton parent, warned of students turning to the internet for information on topics they are curious about instead of getting it from sources vetted by professionals such as school librarians.

“We aren’t preventing access,” Weinrich said. “We are pushing students to often harmful, uninformed sources. Wouldn’t it be better for them to learn from carefully curated sources in the library? Educational facilities should be champions of knowledge, not gatekeepers. This isn’t about content, it’s about controlling whose stories are told and whose voices are heard.”

The book debate, Lehighton senior Natalie Blair said, has made it to the halls of the high school, where some of her friends in the LGBTQ community said they wouldn’t feel comfortable asking their parents for permission to check out a book on that topic.

“Some of them are not supported by their parents,” Blair said. “It is normal to have questions and be confused about how you fit into society. It’s OK to seek out books to help you. We aren’t 5. We are young adults who can make informed decisions about ourselves. Books are one of the core pieces of education we have in our society.”

Director Joy Beers said she supported investigating any topic that impacts students. “I’m paying attention as to whether or not the district has books in its library that diminish the human spirit.,” Beers said. “For example, anything that furthers the false belief that a woman’s primary value is as a sexual object. I’m going to listen to the information and decide how to proceed based on fact.”

Beers also defended Gleaves, saying he has “tried to be transparent” through the book audit process.

“There are a lot of rumors going around about him and people are now trying to politically assassinate him,” Beers said.

Though he was not at Monday’s meeting, school board member Richard Beltz also expressed support of the book audit.

“Some of these books have graphic depictions of sex acts,” Beltz said in a statement read at the meeting. “The school library is not the place to learn about this stuff.”

Holly Fasching, a recent Lehighton graduate, told the board restricting student access to books by requiring parent permission is a “watered down version of censorship.” She also read part of an email response to her from Gleaves that said, “the rest of us are tired of being bullied to accept your degenerate and immoral lifestyle.”

“Is this how you want an elected official to speak to your children?” Fasching said.

Gleaves asked Monday’s meeting attendees to put aside their preconceived notions about his political and religious beliefs.

“Look at this content with a logical and rational mind,” he said. “Ask yourself, do I want my child to be exposed to these ideas? If your answer is yes, that is your decision, but do not force the rest of society to conform to your lifestyle.”