Shrewsbury Library Trustees Defer Vote on Easing Child Supervision Rules

SHREWSBURY — March 24, 2026 — Shrewsbury Library Trustees decline to immediately ease child supervision policy, will gather more information. The Board of Library Trustees voted to continue until its April 28 meeting any decision on whether to allow fifth and sixth graders to use the Shrewsbury Public Library without adult accompaniment — a rule tightened in 2023 after repeated police calls, property damage, and capacity crises involving large groups of unsupervised students. Library Director Priya told the board that youth services librarian Kaylee and children's librarian Annie Lee believe the current cohort of 10- and 11-year-olds is behaviorally different from the group that prompted the original change, with school administrators citing pandemic-era disruption as a key factor, and that students have told Kaylee the policy feels like an outright ban. Trustee Deb LeBeau pushed back, describing her experience standing at the library entrance to direct student traffic: "I would favor a more gradual approach to this rather than just changing it overnight." The board agreed to invite Kaylee, Annie Lee, and potentially Sherwood Middle School Principal Jonathan Kelly to the April meeting to present structured proposals, with any policy change taking effect no earlier than fall 2026. The board also unanimously approved $1,500 in state aid spending for summer reading prizes and received a facilities update indicating the town is soliciting three quotes to replace a library rooftop HVAC unit at an estimated cost of $50,000, with the divisional manager of public buildings expected to seek a Finance Committee reserve fund transfer to complete the work before summer.