By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

Kennett Consolidated School District Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders publicly announced the cessation of an almost-yearlong dialogue between the school board and a resident protesting what he said was in the school’s library content.

For much of 2025 and again at the Jan. 12 meeting Richard Bochanski, 39, who in the 2025 election ran as a non-affiliated candidate for the board, addressed the members stating his concern over sexual content in the books.

During his monologues he listed the names of the books or videos he said he is concerned about.

They include “Sex in the City,” “Shameless Sex”, ‘a kids’ book about transgender’, “Californication,” and ‘a sex tape’.

In previous reports he also read passages from the books he was objecting to and referenced quotes in the Bible that mentioned human gender identification.

Rizzo Saunders told him all those items were blocked from students.

After hearing that, he announced he has contacted district’s technology staff on how to obtain methods of tracking down the literature and videos he objects to.

He said he followed the list of links that began at KCSD.org and arrived at the access PA Power Library. There he was able to reach a link that contained a catalog containing a list of the items, “…{W}hich you know I am concerned about.”

He then asked the board members to verify – based on his report – if they still believed the sites were blocked from the students as they said, and if what they said in December was true.

“I believe that it was stated [by the board] that the site was blocked. ,,,[but] the catalogs last mentioned are within KCSD by the WIFI.

“Do you still believe what you mentioned that it is blocked? If you still believe, let’s move from there,” he said.

Meanwhile, while at board meetings the members and superintendent routinely have a policy of not responding immediately to residents’ comments.

In this case, however, Rizzo Saunders, visibly irritated, said she would issue a clarification to her board on, “What is happening here.”

She added that she felt compelled to respond because of the severity of the effect she saw it had on the instruction and student needs in the school.

She first said that Bochanski’s issues had been addressed exhaustively by the administration and the technology department already.

Rizzo Saunders then said the essence of the issue is visibility of titles versus access to content.

She explained that the online route Bochanski followed and was concerned about led to the site that contained the titles only and is contained by a union of all the libraries in Pennsylvania – not just schools – which was overseen by the State of Pennsylvania.

The only body capable of making changes is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, she said.

“Going to that list is the same as me going through a card file,” she said, jokingly adding that in this era of internet, she was showing her age by even knowing that card file lists only the names of books in a library (including school libraries).

She continued: “The administration considers this closed and they will not be responding to it anymore.”

Rizzo Saunders said attempts to bring up the matter again either casts doubt on the district’s research and answers or attempts to demonstrate there is a question where there is not one.

“Consider the matter closed,” she reiterated.

In other business at the meeting reported by Superintendent Rizzo Saunders:

-Coach Lance Frazier was named the Daily Local News Coach of the Year for the 2025 season in recognition of his outstanding leadership of the Kennett Blue Demons football program. 

-Twelve of the chorus members participated in the PMEA District Chorus at Upper Darby High School. They were chosen to represent Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia Counties in the 80-musician festival and concert. Nine of the 12 musicians who auditioned will represent Kennett High School next month at Bensalem High School. They are Sarah Myers, Natalie Jeffery, Shani Raath, Pierce Duckworth, Asher Sweet, Ryan Church, Ryan Hunter, Evan Rumignani and Joschua Zander.