The executive board of the Alabama Public Library Service on Thursday heard complaints from several parents about books they considered inappropriate for children, part of an ongoing public debate how libraries should control access to books with sexual and LGBTQ themes.

The Alabama Legislature and APLS Board has required local libraries to update their policies in what they say is an effort to protect young readers from sexually explicit material or risk losing their state funding.

Several of the speakers during the public comment period of Thursday’s meeting said they believe some libraries are not following the new policies.

APLS Board Chair John Wahl said parents should first raise concerns with local library boards and come to the APLS Board if they believe the library is not following new guidelines.

Also, in a move supported by local library directors, the APLS Board reversed an earlier decision and reinstated a federal grant program for local libraries.

In September, the board had voted in favor of a statewide plan to allocate services with the federal funds, rather than awarding the competitive Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants, an annual program for many years.

Thursday’s meeting drew a standing-room only crowd in the board room and others watched remotely from an overflow room.

Wahl, who is chairman of the Alabama Republican Party and represents the 5th congressional district on the APLS Board, served as chair at a meeting for the first time on Thursday.

Wahl met with local library directors for a question and answer session before Thursday morning’s board meeting.

“I think the board as a whole and our local library directors should have a good working relationship and I think the best way to accomplish that is open communication, transparency, and making sure that they have a chance to talk with me as chairman and share their concerns, ideas, or how things will impact them,” Wahl said.

Dozens of directors attended the session and others participated remotely. When Wahl asked for a show of hands on reinstatement of the LSTA grants. the support appeared to be close to unanimous.

Later, at the board meeting, Gadsden Public Library Director Craig Scott, who is president of the Alabama Library Association, urged to board to reinstate the grants.

“Over 100 library directors are eagerly awaiting your reconsideration today,” Scott told the board. “LSTA funding is a vital resource that empowers libraries across Alabama to offer transformative programs, services, and resources for their communities.”

Jessica Ross, director of the Washington County Public Library, said LSTA grants had helped fund a career readiness and small business development center and community college satellite campus.

“Our library may be small and rural, but it is thriving and dynamic and serves as the anchor institution and community center for our county,” Ross said.

APLS Director Nancy Pack urged the board to stick with its decision in September to use the federal funds to allocate services through a statewide plan, rather than the LSTA grants. Pack said that would better serve all libraries, including small ones that are unable to effectively compete for grants.

Wahl supported the reinstatement of the grants after hearing the local directors’ concerns. The board voted for the reinstatement.

“In the end, we agreed with them that the best policy was making sure that those libraries have the resources they need directly through a sub-grant program,” Wahl said.

Earlier this year, the APLS Board approved a new legislative code to require libraries to move “inappropriate” material for children, mandate library cards specifically for minors, and make other changes.

APLS Director Pack said about 132 of the roughly 210 public libraries have successfully updated their policies.

She said 36 have not submitted their new policies and 42 have submitted new policies but still need to make revisions.

During the public comment period, Melissa Gates of Mobile showed the board a book entitled “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health.”

The illustrations include depictions of sexual intercourse, including gay and lesbian images. Gates said it was checked out from the Moorer/Spring Hill branch of the library and was on a shelf that a small child could reach.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to have to explain that to my 4-year-old if he happened to just say, ‘Ooh, look at the colors on that book. I like it. I’m going to grab it. And I’m going to look through it,‘“ Gates said. ”This shouldn’t happen.”

Gates said she asked to have the library to move the book but that it did not.

“They said the book has been in the library 15 years and it’s been checked out numerous times,” Gates said.

Rebecca Watson of Baldwin County showed the board the book “Parts & Hearts: A Kids (& Grown-Ups) Guide to Transgender Transition.” Watson said the book was in the juvenile section Fairhope Public Library for ages 3-12.

Watson said her request to move the book from the juvenile section was denied by the library director because the book was classified as an educational and instructional book.

She said the Fairhope Library Board upheld the director’s decision.

Read more: Library war in Fairhope: Group calls for board chair’s resignation

District 3 APLS Board member Amy Minton said “Parts & Hearts,” should not be classified as educational and noted that the Alabama Legislature passed a bill prohibiting the use of hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries as transgender therapies for minors.

Watson, who is chair of the Baldwin County Chapter of Moms for Liberty, said she wanted to know whether the Fairhope Library was following the regulations on the placement of books.

“This isn’t me personally trying to distort or manipulate anything,” Watson said.

“I just want to make sure that all libraries are complying with the law. Whatever the law is, I want to make sure they’re complying. And our public library is not in compliance.”

Amber Frey of Prattville, executive organization administrator for Read Freely Alabama, said “Parts & Hearts” is an important book for transgender children and their families.

“There are transgender children out there, whether people like it or not,” Frey said.

“They’re there. And to have a book that shows people like them and shows them how they can be themselves is so important because they are the biggest targets right now.”

Read Freely Alabama’s mission is to defend libraries and librarians, Frey said.

“We’re here to defend the freedom to read whatever you’d like,” Frey said.

“The library is a place where everybody should be able to be seen. And it shouldn’t be a partisan, political issue because libraries are apolitical. Reed Freely Alabama is apolitical. And there are people across the political spectrum who are with Read Freely Alabama who agree that the government shouldn’t be involving themselves in what the public library offers its patrons.”

As for the sex education book that Gates showed the board, “It’s Perfectly Normal,” Frey said it’s not a book that parents should hand their child to read but one that they would read with them.

“I don’t think it should be placed with younger children’s books, no,” Frey said. “I think it’s appropriate in the juvenile section, which generally is higher shelves. If it’s on a low shelf, maybe consider moving it up. I don’t think that that would be a problem.

“But the librarians know more about that than I do. I trust the librarians to shelf books more than I would trust myself or anybody challenging the books.”

Wahl said the APLS Board is committed to protecting children.

“Local libraries in order to receive state funding will have to remove any sexually explicit materials form libraries,” Wahl said.

“Once that goes fully into place, if parents are still finding that material in libraries, they should reach out to the local library boards, make sure they’re aware of it, give them a chance to remove it. If they refuse to remove it, at that point they should come to the APLS Board, and we will make sure that the statewide policy is enforced.”