Scott Herbert- Citrus 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 specialists and the media center are critical to the functioning of any school. It is the media specialist (and by extension the media center) who supports reading, research, learning, and the dialogue of ideas. The job is demanding with specialists needing to keep a robust selection of books, organizing classes to use the media center during their respective class periods, and helping with testing (as often media centers are used for testing throughout the year). A media specialist is critical to the achievement of reading at each school; as such, they deserve the utmost support.
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 opportunity to know what is being taught to their children and what their children are reading. At the same time, while parents have the right to monitor their own children, I do not believe that parents have the right to determine what other families allow their children to read. There is a delicate balancing act here, but it is possible to make sure parents have oversight while allowing freedom of choice for students (within those parental parameters).
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?
We expect teachers in every classroom to offer a syllabus as to what is taught in that classroom. Parents of students who are “captive” in a classroom have the right to know what is being taught. For novels read in the classroom, we ask teachers to let parents know what the book is about and to let parents request an alternate assignment if they are worried about the content. Just last year, one of our teachers had students read The Hot Zone. One parent was worried about the graphic description of what the Ebola virus does to a human body. Therefore, the teacher allowed the student to read an alternate book. As for self-selection, that is more fluid, and students with their parents should have more freedom in what they select to read.
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.
To be honest, we would hope that any parent concern that is raised is resolved before it gets to the school board. We believe that media specialists are the first step of reviewing and determining which books best fit our community. After that, our community (parents and administrators) have an opportunity to offer input. To answer the question directly, anyone can take a single quote out of context and make it sound more alarming that perhaps it is within the thematic context of the book; therefore, I believe all books should be allowed to be reviewed before a final determination is made.
Media specialists and the media center are critical to the functioning of any school. It is the media specialist (and by extension the media center) who supports reading, research, learning, and the dialogue of ideas. The job is demanding with specialists needing to keep a robust selection of books, organizing classes to use the media center during their respective class periods, and helping with testing (as often media centers are used for testing throughout the year). A media specialist is critical to the achievement of reading at each school; as such, they deserve the utmost support.
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 opportunity to know what is being taught to their children and what their children are reading. At the same time, while parents have the right to monitor their own children, I do not believe that parents have the right to determine what other families allow their children to read. There is a delicate balancing act here, but it is possible to make sure parents have oversight while allowing freedom of choice for students (within those parental parameters).
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?
We expect teachers in every classroom to offer a syllabus as to what is taught in that classroom. Parents of students who are “captive” in a classroom have the right to know what is being taught. For novels read in the classroom, we ask teachers to let parents know what the book is about and to let parents request an alternate assignment if they are worried about the content. Just last year, one of our teachers had students read The Hot Zone. One parent was worried about the graphic description of what the Ebola virus does to a human body. Therefore, the teacher allowed the student to read an alternate book. As for self-selection, that is more fluid, and students with their parents should have more freedom in what they select to read.
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.
To be honest, we would hope that any parent concern that is raised is resolved before it gets to the school board. We believe that media specialists are the first step of reviewing and determining which books best fit our community. After that, our community (parents and administrators) have an opportunity to offer input. To answer the question directly, anyone can take a single quote out of context and make it sound more alarming that perhaps it is within the thematic context of the book; therefore, I believe all books should be allowed to be reviewed before a final determination is made.