Protests broke out at the embattled Prattville Public Library on Thursday after library director Andrew Foster was fired for allegedly sharing confidential information with the media.
Foster was selected as director in June 2023 after the former director resigned amidst controversy surrounding sexually explicit and LGBTQ+-promoting material for minors in the library. Since then, the entire Autauga/Prattville Library Board has been replaced.
The library board called an emergency meeting for Thursday at city hall, where supporters on both sides of the book debate were in attendance.
Shortly after convening, the board went into executive session for roughly 15 minutes. Upon returning to the auditorium, a motion was made to terminate Foster for “revealing confidential information in violation of criminal law.”
After the board unanimously approved the termination, cries of anger and protest erupted from the audience.
Board chairman Ray Boles told Foster he would have to surrender his keys and passwords before leaving the building, and they would establish a time for him to collect his personal belongings.
The confidential information Foster was accused of sharing involved a public records request filed with the library by the far-left website Alabama Political Reporter (APR). APR writer Jacob Holmes then used the information in an article highlighting perceived ambiguity and confusion with the new board’s policies involving removing or relocating books.
The story contained information between board members and attorney Laura Clark, which may be the confidential information referenced by the board, although it has not been confirmed. Additionally, statements from Foster seemed to indicate that he had recorded executive sessions, which violates Alabama’s open records laws.
“Unfortunately, with the [open records request] that’s been requested, and we’ve had a lot, my policy of openness and open sharing seems not to be the way — as well as just the fact that I’ve taken those steps to try and protect myself by recording — seems to have backfired,” Foster said.
Foster said he was never directly told the information he shared was privileged or confidential. However, the city attorney told him the information he released “didn’t necessarily have to be shared.”
After the meeting, employees locked the library doors to protest Foster’s termination, threatening to do so until Foster was reinstated. Adrienne Barringer, the assistant to the children’s program department, stood at the front door in tears, saying employees had decided to close the library.
“We have decided to close the library in response to the board firing our director, Andrew Foster, who has done nothing wrong,” Barringer said.
Video is a screen recording of a Facebook live stream of unknown origin.
Barringer also said that Clark declined to address specifically what rules Foster had broken.
Boles intervened to break up the commotion. According to Boles, when attempting to shuttle Holmes out of the building, he accidentally struck a woman with a door. The woman called the police, claiming Boles struck her on purpose. After viewing the video of the incident, police reportedly determined there was no wrongdoing.
"[APR reporter] Jacob Holmes was in the building, and I told him to get out so we could talk to the employees because they had closed the building down with him in the building,” Boles said. “When I went to open the door, there was a lady beside the door that I did not see, and the door hit her when I opened the door. Fortunately, both of them had recordings and called the police department; they all looked at the recordings and said, ‘He didn’t do that maliciously; he didn’t even see you. You can tell he was looking at the fat dude [Holmes].'"
“She started screaming at me, ‘You hit me. You attacked me.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? I didn't even see you. I’m sorry.’ So the police were called, and they all said nothing happened. It was an accident,” he continued.
Boles clarified that the library would “100% be open on Friday” at the regular time. Library employees called all the other libraries in the county to ask them to join the protest, a request that was declined, according to Boles.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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