Autauga-Prattville Public Library Board settles lawsuit with former director Andrew Foster

Autauga-Prattville Public Library Director Andrew Foster demonstrates how a magnifying machine works in the Alabama section of the library on Feb. 23, 2024. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)

The Autauga-Prattville Public Library and former Director Andrew Foster said Thursday they had settled a lawsuit over the director’s firing in March.

Members of the library board announced the agreement in a joint news release with Foster.

According to the statement, Foster will drop his claims and not return to his position, while the board will state “that Mr. Foster was not terminated for a violation of criminal or ethics laws as later reported in press accounts, but for other stated reasons.”

“Under the agreement, all parties deny any wrongdoing,” the statement said.

Foster declined comment, only confirming that a settlement had been reached.

The news release cited a very different reason for terminating Foster than what board members had originally given to the public, stating that he had released confidential information to the public and for violating criminal law.

Foster was terminated on March 14 after a contentious meeting where board members entered into a 20-minute executive session with Foster almost immediately after the meeting began.

Library board Chair Ray Boles had requested Foster resign from his post or be terminated, claiming he had released confidential information to the public. Foster said he had responded to a records request from a media outlet.

In response to a question from Boles, Foster said he was recording the meeting. Boles accused him of a “major violation of the law” and prepared a written statement stating that Foster would resign as director of the library. Foster refused to sign the letter after consulting with an attorney.

Members then ended the executive session, gaveled back into open session, and fired Foster. Boles and the other members of the board refused to speak with the media, choosing instead to leave behind a written statement that cited the reasons for Foster’s termination.

Scrawled on the paper in pen over a portion of the statement was the phraase “violation of criminal law.” Alabama is a one-party consent state, and the board did not offer any evidence of the crime that Foster had committed.

Christoper Weller, Foster’s attorney, sent a letter to members of the library board on March 21 demanding Foster’s reinstatement and apologies, corrections and retractions from Boles and board attorney Laura Clark for statements they made about Foster.

Clark publicly refused. It is unclear if Boles responded to the letter that Weller sent.

Foster filed a lawsuit in Autauga County Circuit Court April 3, demanding his reinstatement and a $1,000 civil penalty against the library for violating the Open Meetings Act.

Foster’s termination came after almost a year of turmoil over the library.  A group known as Clean Up Alabama formed after a parent complained about a book that she borrowed from the library that contained inclusive pronouns. Another group, Read Freely Alabama, formed to oppose Clean Up Alabama’s efforts to restrict access to specific books in the collection.

A board comprised of new members aligned with Clean Up Alabama convened its first meeting in February and adopted changes to the library’s policies restricting books they believed to be sexually explicit or those that discussed matters related to sexual orientation and gender.

Foster and Boles met to discuss the policy and a series of emails were exchanged that included Foster, Boles and Clark. In those email exchanges, Foster expressed confusion and some concerns about books getting reshelved or removed from circulation.

Those emails became the subject of a records request by a news outlet that Foster fulfilled, which eventually became the grounds by which he was terminated.

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