Denise Carlin- Lee Superintendent
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.
Media centers are the heart of the school, as literacy is essential to students’ success. Reading a book opens doors for children and allows them to experience life beyond the four walls of the home and classroom. Reading also provides an avenue for students to sharpen their literacy skills by allowing them opportunities to decode words, develop new vocabulary, and increase fluency and comprehension. Certified, trained media specialists play important roles in schools. They provide the tools and knowledge needed to help teachers support their students’ literacy skills. They collaborate with educators, assisting them in the development of interdisciplinary learning experiences for children and opportunities for research. Media specialists are also responsible for the collection of books and instructional materials in the school’s media center. Further, Florida House Bill 1069 requires the evaluation of the content of instructional materials, books in schools’ media centers and classrooms, and books on students’ reading lists by certified, trained media specialists.
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?
Florida law requires that parents have the right to direct their child’s education; and in my administration, we will always comply with the law. Parents have the right to object to any book/instructional material that they do not deem appropriate for their child. In my opinion, Lee County has struck the right balance by having parents complete a Media Access Form at the beginning of each year or upon enrollment of a student. The parent indicates whether their child may have access to all books in the classroom and media center, all books with the exception of challenged books, or that the parent will provide books for their child to read. I am supportive of Lee County’s common-sense approach to the implementation of this law.
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 law (HB 1069) requires that parents have the right to direct their child’s education and that curriculum must be made transparent to parents. This law states that district school boards are responsible for the content of instructional materials. Furthermore, school and classroom libraries and any materials that are deemed to be pornographic or harmful to students must be removed from circulation until a committee reviews the materials to make a final determination regarding the material. Therefore, parents have the right to object to instructional materials used in the classroom, and there is a review process to be followed, per HB1069. They also have the right to provide direction regarding the books their child may read during free reading time.
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.
HB1069 states, “If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to pornographic content, the school district shall discontinue use of the material.” I would follow the law regarding this matter.
Media centers are the heart of the school, as literacy is essential to students’ success. Reading a book opens doors for children and allows them to experience life beyond the four walls of the home and classroom. Reading also provides an avenue for students to sharpen their literacy skills by allowing them opportunities to decode words, develop new vocabulary, and increase fluency and comprehension. Certified, trained media specialists play important roles in schools. They provide the tools and knowledge needed to help teachers support their students’ literacy skills. They collaborate with educators, assisting them in the development of interdisciplinary learning experiences for children and opportunities for research. Media specialists are also responsible for the collection of books and instructional materials in the school’s media center. Further, Florida House Bill 1069 requires the evaluation of the content of instructional materials, books in schools’ media centers and classrooms, and books on students’ reading lists by certified, trained media specialists.
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?
Florida law requires that parents have the right to direct their child’s education; and in my administration, we will always comply with the law. Parents have the right to object to any book/instructional material that they do not deem appropriate for their child. In my opinion, Lee County has struck the right balance by having parents complete a Media Access Form at the beginning of each year or upon enrollment of a student. The parent indicates whether their child may have access to all books in the classroom and media center, all books with the exception of challenged books, or that the parent will provide books for their child to read. I am supportive of Lee County’s common-sense approach to the implementation of this law.
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 law (HB 1069) requires that parents have the right to direct their child’s education and that curriculum must be made transparent to parents. This law states that district school boards are responsible for the content of instructional materials. Furthermore, school and classroom libraries and any materials that are deemed to be pornographic or harmful to students must be removed from circulation until a committee reviews the materials to make a final determination regarding the material. Therefore, parents have the right to object to instructional materials used in the classroom, and there is a review process to be followed, per HB1069. They also have the right to provide direction regarding the books their child may read during free reading time.
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.
HB1069 states, “If the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due to pornographic content, the school district shall discontinue use of the material.” I would follow the law regarding this matter.