Jessica Vaughn- Hillsborough District 3
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.
Library media specialists help students develop a love of reading. They give students access to books across all genres and subjects. By sharing diverse books with students, library media specialists can help children develop empathy and find comfort in their own lives. Many students do not have this opportunity outside of their school library. Library media specialists teach children to use this technology in a safe and effective way. They focus on topics such as Internet safety, cyber-bullying, responsible and ethical use of information, and privacy issues. This is necessary to keep students safe while utilizing technology. Library media specialists collaborate with classroom teachers to help supplement and extend the curriculum. They teach students how to conduct research and how to assess the validity and reliability of the information they find. In the media center, students can take what they’ve learned and present it in meaningful ways, via many different technology applications. This is a skill that is necessary for students to become successful members of 21st-century society. In addition, library media specialists give students the opportunity to collaborate with each other and improve their critical thinking skills. In a Makerspace, for example, students have the chance to explore, create, build, and discover. Interacting with their peers in this way can help them become better problem solvers. Library media specialists foster some of the most authentic learning in schools today.
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?
Here in Hillsborough County, all parents can work with their child's media specialist and provide a list of books that their child does not have permission to check out. They can also request that their media specialist call them to get permission for any book their child may want to check out of the library. Our parents/families have full control over what their children can access in our libraries. If a parent wants to challenge the access of a book for ALL of HCPS students and have the book removed completely, we have a process where that book goes through two committees (one at the local school level and one at the district level). These committees read the book, discuss the book and vote on whether the book should remain in the school library or be removed. These committees meet and make these decisions before the challenged book even comes before the school board. I support this process, and as an elected school board member, I vote to support the decision of the majority of both these committees. I trust our media specialists, and our community, to make their own decisions about what they want in their libraries.
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?
Both reading materials must be age appropriate. However, the captive classroom material is driven by classroom instruction, the state standards and relates to the academic goals of the teacher. Self-selection allows the student to choose the material based in their own person interests.
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.
In Hillsborough County we have never denied a reader the right to read any material at a meeting, nor would I support any policy that restricted what the public says at our meetings (unless it was identified at hate speech). If someone was restricted by the chair, without board approval, I would consult with our board attorney and follow his interpretation of the law. And while I will absolutely follow the law with no exceptions, personally I believe that when portions of a book are read out of context, they lose their true meaning. And it is my personal belief is that all books should be put through our book challenge process equally and fairly.
Library media specialists help students develop a love of reading. They give students access to books across all genres and subjects. By sharing diverse books with students, library media specialists can help children develop empathy and find comfort in their own lives. Many students do not have this opportunity outside of their school library. Library media specialists teach children to use this technology in a safe and effective way. They focus on topics such as Internet safety, cyber-bullying, responsible and ethical use of information, and privacy issues. This is necessary to keep students safe while utilizing technology. Library media specialists collaborate with classroom teachers to help supplement and extend the curriculum. They teach students how to conduct research and how to assess the validity and reliability of the information they find. In the media center, students can take what they’ve learned and present it in meaningful ways, via many different technology applications. This is a skill that is necessary for students to become successful members of 21st-century society. In addition, library media specialists give students the opportunity to collaborate with each other and improve their critical thinking skills. In a Makerspace, for example, students have the chance to explore, create, build, and discover. Interacting with their peers in this way can help them become better problem solvers. Library media specialists foster some of the most authentic learning in schools today.
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?
Here in Hillsborough County, all parents can work with their child's media specialist and provide a list of books that their child does not have permission to check out. They can also request that their media specialist call them to get permission for any book their child may want to check out of the library. Our parents/families have full control over what their children can access in our libraries. If a parent wants to challenge the access of a book for ALL of HCPS students and have the book removed completely, we have a process where that book goes through two committees (one at the local school level and one at the district level). These committees read the book, discuss the book and vote on whether the book should remain in the school library or be removed. These committees meet and make these decisions before the challenged book even comes before the school board. I support this process, and as an elected school board member, I vote to support the decision of the majority of both these committees. I trust our media specialists, and our community, to make their own decisions about what they want in their libraries.
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?
Both reading materials must be age appropriate. However, the captive classroom material is driven by classroom instruction, the state standards and relates to the academic goals of the teacher. Self-selection allows the student to choose the material based in their own person interests.
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.
In Hillsborough County we have never denied a reader the right to read any material at a meeting, nor would I support any policy that restricted what the public says at our meetings (unless it was identified at hate speech). If someone was restricted by the chair, without board approval, I would consult with our board attorney and follow his interpretation of the law. And while I will absolutely follow the law with no exceptions, personally I believe that when portions of a book are read out of context, they lose their true meaning. And it is my personal belief is that all books should be put through our book challenge process equally and fairly.