Cassie Gonyer- Volusia District 2
1. Please share your thoughts related to the importance of the school library/media center and the role of a certified, trained librarian/media specialist in schools.
It is disheartening to me that there is such an emphasis on having age-approppraite materials in school libraries and yet, at the same time, funding for certified and trained media specialists in districts across Florida is being cut! Media specialists are essential for choosing academic and fun materials to engage students in learning inside and outside of their classrooms.
2. Florida school libraries/media centers have always supported parents' rights to direct their students' education. How would you balance parental rights and student access to library materials, especially given that some books trigger different reactions among parents, all of whom deserve rights?
Parents should have the right and responsibility to direct their own student's education, but no single parent or group should get to decide what every student in the district reads. I appreciate Volusia County's model that assumes all students have access to library materials unless explicitly restricted or denied by their parent/guardian as opposed to Indian River County, which conversely assumes students should be denied access to libraries unless given written permission from home. We need schools and families to work together to help students choose appropriate books.
3. Students have access to reading material through captive classroom instruction, read-alouds and novel studies, as well as through self-selection in libraries where they choose their own book. How would you differentiate between the appropriateness of reading material in a captive classroom vs. self-selection in the school library?
The recent settlement between the State Department of Education and Equality Florida is a good example of how we can discuss this: it was clarified that teachers may not directly instruct on topics such as gender identity, but that students could choose reading material on their own to complete assignments on the topic or even hold a student-led discussion. "Captive classroom instruction" needs to continue to align with state standards while students have access to choice in reading materials with diversity of opinions, stories, and topics. Teachers need to create more space for student exploration of topics, critical thinking, and even open discourse between students of differing viewpoints.
4. As written in Florida House Bill 1069, “Parents shall have the right to read passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to content" deemed unsuitable as defined in the bill, the school district must discontinue use of the material. If a reader is denied, explain why you would interpret the law by supporting or opposing a fair and public review of the book, as outlined in each district's objection policy.
As mentioned above, no single parent or special-interest group should get to decide what an entire district reads, especially by exploiting this bill. Volusia County has a process to review books that includes a public committee of diverse voices and we need to follow that procedure. I support far and public reviews of books and plead with the school board to listen to this review when making final decisions on if a book stays or is removed.
It is disheartening to me that there is such an emphasis on having age-approppraite materials in school libraries and yet, at the same time, funding for certified and trained media specialists in districts across Florida is being cut! Media specialists are essential for choosing academic and fun materials to engage students in learning inside and outside of their classrooms.
2. Florida school libraries/media centers have always supported parents' rights to direct their students' education. How would you balance parental rights and student access to library materials, especially given that some books trigger different reactions among parents, all of whom deserve rights?
Parents should have the right and responsibility to direct their own student's education, but no single parent or group should get to decide what every student in the district reads. I appreciate Volusia County's model that assumes all students have access to library materials unless explicitly restricted or denied by their parent/guardian as opposed to Indian River County, which conversely assumes students should be denied access to libraries unless given written permission from home. We need schools and families to work together to help students choose appropriate books.
3. Students have access to reading material through captive classroom instruction, read-alouds and novel studies, as well as through self-selection in libraries where they choose their own book. How would you differentiate between the appropriateness of reading material in a captive classroom vs. self-selection in the school library?
The recent settlement between the State Department of Education and Equality Florida is a good example of how we can discuss this: it was clarified that teachers may not directly instruct on topics such as gender identity, but that students could choose reading material on their own to complete assignments on the topic or even hold a student-led discussion. "Captive classroom instruction" needs to continue to align with state standards while students have access to choice in reading materials with diversity of opinions, stories, and topics. Teachers need to create more space for student exploration of topics, critical thinking, and even open discourse between students of differing viewpoints.
4. As written in Florida House Bill 1069, “Parents shall have the right to read passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to content" deemed unsuitable as defined in the bill, the school district must discontinue use of the material. If a reader is denied, explain why you would interpret the law by supporting or opposing a fair and public review of the book, as outlined in each district's objection policy.
As mentioned above, no single parent or special-interest group should get to decide what an entire district reads, especially by exploiting this bill. Volusia County has a process to review books that includes a public committee of diverse voices and we need to follow that procedure. I support far and public reviews of books and plead with the school board to listen to this review when making final decisions on if a book stays or is removed.