Joe Burgess- Leon 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.
The media center plays a vital role in the essence of school. First its a center of access to resources for every student and staff member on the campus. It has has learning tools at their disposal to help students and teachers for research, projects and exploration of information. The media specialist and their staff also help guide students and teachers about information across their curriculums and beyond.
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?
Every school district, their school leaders and media specialists have to follow the law is written. But each district, their school leaders, media specialists and their parents have the ability to advocate to legislators and FDOE every year for new laws to strike old laws, modification of laws or the advocation of new rules to help school personnel and parents have a better working relationships and guidance on navigating what she be offered for review inside media centers and the process for parents to control what their kids see or challenge materials access or not inside of a media center.
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?
By statute our classroom libraries and the materials we present our cataloged for any stakeholders to review, particularly parents. We provide parents opportunities to make their objection to material and offer alternative assignments from the material that would still provide an opportunity for the student to learn material to able to master the state standard of the classroom lesson. As far as the classroom materials vs. library the best way to address this is to have a system that links parents to the library to review the material their student is selecting so that they are a working partner in their child's education. Based on the law they have to be an active participant so that their concerns are addressed in real 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.
Your materials at all levels of school should be reviewed each year. First review should come from the schools and supported by the district. If a reader is denied it should go before a public review of the book (accessed by online so other stakeholders could see the process) to determine it's age or developmental appropriateness at the school level and others if necessary. The parent should be fully informed of their rights and timeline of the review. The committee would make the final decision and either the book would be left on the shelf or removed. If it is not reviewed the matter is taken to the Superintendent and Board for their review with the same process that if appealed would go to FDOE. Per law and FDOE rules governing our schools.
The media center plays a vital role in the essence of school. First its a center of access to resources for every student and staff member on the campus. It has has learning tools at their disposal to help students and teachers for research, projects and exploration of information. The media specialist and their staff also help guide students and teachers about information across their curriculums and beyond.
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?
Every school district, their school leaders and media specialists have to follow the law is written. But each district, their school leaders, media specialists and their parents have the ability to advocate to legislators and FDOE every year for new laws to strike old laws, modification of laws or the advocation of new rules to help school personnel and parents have a better working relationships and guidance on navigating what she be offered for review inside media centers and the process for parents to control what their kids see or challenge materials access or not inside of a media center.
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?
By statute our classroom libraries and the materials we present our cataloged for any stakeholders to review, particularly parents. We provide parents opportunities to make their objection to material and offer alternative assignments from the material that would still provide an opportunity for the student to learn material to able to master the state standard of the classroom lesson. As far as the classroom materials vs. library the best way to address this is to have a system that links parents to the library to review the material their student is selecting so that they are a working partner in their child's education. Based on the law they have to be an active participant so that their concerns are addressed in real 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.
Your materials at all levels of school should be reviewed each year. First review should come from the schools and supported by the district. If a reader is denied it should go before a public review of the book (accessed by online so other stakeholders could see the process) to determine it's age or developmental appropriateness at the school level and others if necessary. The parent should be fully informed of their rights and timeline of the review. The committee would make the final decision and either the book would be left on the shelf or removed. If it is not reviewed the matter is taken to the Superintendent and Board for their review with the same process that if appealed would go to FDOE. Per law and FDOE rules governing our schools.