Chris Canter- Broward District 1
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.
The role of a certified, trained media specialist is of the utmost importance to every school. Not only do media specialists hold authority under state law to review books for propriety, but the research and digital literacy skills they provide are unparalleled. Media Specialists have unique knowledge that empowers teachers to research their content areas, connect students with literature, and provide meaningful digital resources and tools that can be used within the school and beyond. Every school in every county should have at least one full-time, certified media specialist.
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?
The key word that we must remember here is balance. Just because a library contains a book does not mean that a student has to read it or check it out. Our district has done the work of creating a book review committee that complies with state law and helps to evaluate books against complaints. In that process, we have created a representative process that ensures compliance with state law. Open conversations with parents are key. It's almost impossible to manage which books a student accesses during free time in a media center, because the specialist is supporting a number of children at all times. While we can limit the content that children can check out, that process will never be fool proof. We could rate books and create limitation on the ratings that can be used, but there is a cost associated with that, which will take away from funds actually impacting instruction. One method we have not tried is utilizing digital media to provide students access to books that may seem controversial or questionable to some. For instance, most districts have a one-to-one technology initiative since CoVID. We should investigate using these devices for students to access resources that immediately ping a parent to approve the book/resource based upon a review of its abstract and any public reviews. Parents could then approve or deny resources immediately, such as we currently do with purchases our kids wish to make on the Apple store, for example. We should be leveraging technology to help us through this trying time, not trying to force an old framework to fit new rules.
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?
Captive classroom instruction should include literature that is fully vetted by a certified and trained teacher and media specialist. The differentiation of those selections should be made at the teacher's discretion within the current confines of state law. Self selection should be handled, in my opinion with opt out forms and permission slips. If parents do not with for their children to have unfettered access to the media center materials, then they should have the opportunity to opt out and stipulate the limitation (within reason) of what is permissible for their children to check out. Also, the entire media center at this point should already have been vetted by a media specialist, so compliance of those materials with state law should already be guaranteed. As such, should a student wish to utilize a self selected book in a classroom activity/activity for learning and have an opt-out on file, that could be handled by requiring a parental permission slip to use their chosen book in that learning activity. Choosing an opt-out method should make this a little more manageable than a general approach. I also would recommend that, as stated above, that we leverage technology resources to help make individualized materials available to students with parental permission, if required.
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.
I would support a fair and public review of the book as outlined by my district. Our district has a stringent process that includes a representative group of key stakeholders to participate on that committee as a cross section of our community. The policy has also been vetted and meets state compliance with the law. I trust the process that we have outlined and I am in favor of having the committee review, within reason, questionable materials. At the same time, I do not see any reason why we cannot or should not share with parents any items that are included in the reading for curriculum, as long as those are not protected items for assessments. However, that should be upon request only, as publicly providing each and every item that will ever be read in a classroom would be not only time consuming, but also cost prohibitive. The work here should not equate to holding curriculum hostage but to providing review of materials that are genuinely items of concerns by real parents of the district/school, not just outsiders trying to cripple the work of public schools.
The role of a certified, trained media specialist is of the utmost importance to every school. Not only do media specialists hold authority under state law to review books for propriety, but the research and digital literacy skills they provide are unparalleled. Media Specialists have unique knowledge that empowers teachers to research their content areas, connect students with literature, and provide meaningful digital resources and tools that can be used within the school and beyond. Every school in every county should have at least one full-time, certified media specialist.
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?
The key word that we must remember here is balance. Just because a library contains a book does not mean that a student has to read it or check it out. Our district has done the work of creating a book review committee that complies with state law and helps to evaluate books against complaints. In that process, we have created a representative process that ensures compliance with state law. Open conversations with parents are key. It's almost impossible to manage which books a student accesses during free time in a media center, because the specialist is supporting a number of children at all times. While we can limit the content that children can check out, that process will never be fool proof. We could rate books and create limitation on the ratings that can be used, but there is a cost associated with that, which will take away from funds actually impacting instruction. One method we have not tried is utilizing digital media to provide students access to books that may seem controversial or questionable to some. For instance, most districts have a one-to-one technology initiative since CoVID. We should investigate using these devices for students to access resources that immediately ping a parent to approve the book/resource based upon a review of its abstract and any public reviews. Parents could then approve or deny resources immediately, such as we currently do with purchases our kids wish to make on the Apple store, for example. We should be leveraging technology to help us through this trying time, not trying to force an old framework to fit new rules.
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?
Captive classroom instruction should include literature that is fully vetted by a certified and trained teacher and media specialist. The differentiation of those selections should be made at the teacher's discretion within the current confines of state law. Self selection should be handled, in my opinion with opt out forms and permission slips. If parents do not with for their children to have unfettered access to the media center materials, then they should have the opportunity to opt out and stipulate the limitation (within reason) of what is permissible for their children to check out. Also, the entire media center at this point should already have been vetted by a media specialist, so compliance of those materials with state law should already be guaranteed. As such, should a student wish to utilize a self selected book in a classroom activity/activity for learning and have an opt-out on file, that could be handled by requiring a parental permission slip to use their chosen book in that learning activity. Choosing an opt-out method should make this a little more manageable than a general approach. I also would recommend that, as stated above, that we leverage technology resources to help make individualized materials available to students with parental permission, if required.
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.
I would support a fair and public review of the book as outlined by my district. Our district has a stringent process that includes a representative group of key stakeholders to participate on that committee as a cross section of our community. The policy has also been vetted and meets state compliance with the law. I trust the process that we have outlined and I am in favor of having the committee review, within reason, questionable materials. At the same time, I do not see any reason why we cannot or should not share with parents any items that are included in the reading for curriculum, as long as those are not protected items for assessments. However, that should be upon request only, as publicly providing each and every item that will ever be read in a classroom would be not only time consuming, but also cost prohibitive. The work here should not equate to holding curriculum hostage but to providing review of materials that are genuinely items of concerns by real parents of the district/school, not just outsiders trying to cripple the work of public schools.