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

Alabama Legislature and the APLS Council have asked 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 speakers during the public comment period of Thursday’s meeting said they believe some libraries are not following the new policies.

APLS Board President John Wahl said parents should first raise their concerns with their local library boards and come to the APLS board if they believe the library is not following the 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 voted in favor of a statewide plan to allocate services with federal funds rather than award 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 boardroom, with others watching from a distance from a packed room.

Wahl, who is chairman of the Republican Party of Alabama and represents the 5th Congressional District on the APLS Council, chaired a meeting for the first time 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 library directors should have a good working relationship, and I think the best way to do that is through open communication, transparency and making sure they have a chance to talk to me as president and to share. their concerns, their ideas or how things will affect them,” Wahl said.

Dozens of executives attended the session and others participated remotely. When Wahl called for a show of hands to reinstate the LSTA subsidies. the support seemed to be almost unanimous.

Later at the board meeting, Gadsden Public Library Director Craig Scott, who is president of the Alabama Library Association, asked to get on board to restore the grants.

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

Washington County Public Library Director Jessica Ross said the LSTA grants helped fund a career training and small business development center and a community college satellite campus.

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

APLS Director Nancy Pack urged the board to abide by the September decision to use federal funds to allocate services through a statewide plan rather than LSTA grants. Pack said it would better serve all libraries, including small ones that can’t effectively compete for grants.

Wahl advocated restoring the grants after hearing concerns from local executives. The board voted to reinstate.

“Ultimately, we agreed with them that the best policy was to make sure those libraries had the resources they needed directly through a subgrant program,” Wahl said.

At the beginning of this year, The APLS Council approved a new legislative code require libraries to move materials “inappropriate” for children, require 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 titled “It’s Perfectly Normal: Body Change, Growth, Sex and Sexual Health.”

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

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to have to explain this to my 4-year-old if he happened to say, ‘Oh, 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 he asked to have the library move the book, but it didn’t.

“They said the book had been in the library for 15 years and had been checked out multiple times,” Gates said.

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

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

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

Read more: Library war in Fairhope: Group calls for resignation of board president

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

Watson, who is president of the Baldwin County Chapter of Mothers for Freedom, said he wanted to know if the Fairhope Library followed the regulations regarding the placement of books.

“This is not me personally trying to distort or manipulate anything,” Watson said.

“I just want to make sure all libraries are following the law. Whatever the law is, I want to make sure it complies. And our public library is not compliant.”

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

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

“I’m there. And having 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 want,” Frey said.

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

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

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

“But the librarians know more about it than I do. I trust librarians to keep books on the shelf more than I would trust myself or someone who challenges 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 from their libraries,” Wahl said.

“Once this is fully implemented, if parents are still finding that material in libraries, they should approach their local library boards, make sure they are aware of it, give them the chance to remove it. If they refuse to remove him, at that point they should come to the APLS Board and we will make sure the statewide policy is implemented.”