Chaos erupted after Andrew Foster, the director of the embattled Autauga/Prattville library, was fired on Thursday for allegedly sharing confidential information with the media.
After a slew of recent resignations, the Prattville-Autauga library board is left with one original member who’s served since residents first began objecting to sexually explicit books in the children’s section of the public library.
The Prattville City Council voted down a resolution on Wednesday to limit sexually explicit books to individuals under 18.
Recently Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie announced the city budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which included $355,000 for the Prattville-Autauga Library, which has been at the center of controversy surrounding its inclusion of sexually explicit children’s books.
The Autauga County Commission is considering receiving an opinion from Attorney General Steve Marshall regarding legal remedies in the ongoing battle over books containing sexually explicit material for minors at the Autauga-Prattville Public Library.
Tensions flared at a Tuesday Prattville City Council meeting, which led to an interruption from council president Lora Lee Boone, asking a local resident not to describe the content of one of the books in the library.
Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie said he was "embarrassed" at hearing the books' content, which is still available for children to read at the local library.
The petition started by Prattville parents to relocate LGBTQ+ books for minors has been taken down by the host website for containing “hate speech.”
The Prattville-Autauga Library board of trustees voted on a replacement library director as well as rule changes for public participation in public board meetings as debate continues on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ books for minors.
An online petition has been gaining signatures daily in the ongoing battle of Autauga County residents addressing LGBTQ+ books in the children’s section of the public library.
The Prattville Library Board met on Thursday to address a series of books that a number of locals have raised concerns over for the books’ LGBTQIA+ content.