Sydney Thomas- Martin District 2
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.
I think their role is critical in our schools and has been underestimated for years. I'm disappointed in the lack of importance and respect shown to their opinions, education, and expertise in selecting reading material for our children. Instead of leaning on our trained experts, book selection has been politicized and over-taken by residents uneducated in book selection. If it was up to me, the media specialists would be handling everything related to book selection in schools.
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?
In Martin County, we already have a way for parents to exercise their rights. MCSD uses the Destiny system, which allows parents to exclude books from their child's options. I want to push this solution out to more community members, as most don't seem to understand it's availability.
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?
To start, I would want the input of our media specialists. Books in a captive classroom should be selected based on the goals of the teacher, relevancy to the standards, and level of teacher support available and needed. While books used in the classroom should be oriented to both student interest and educational goals, books from self-selection in the library should have much more flexibility. Students can choose by interest, content appropriateness, and reading level. My view of self-selection is that it's primary intent is to develop a passion for reading, while also opening a student's mind to a variety of ideas and topics.
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.
This particular guidance was developed by the same extremist group that started the book challenges across the country. It is faulted in that it isolates a single passage that is out of context. One paragraph or sentence that stands alone is a far different experience than in the context of an entire book. For this reason a fair and public review of the book would allow professionals like media specialists to point this out to community members and book objectors. It would also allow for further evaluation under the laws and arguments for or against keeping the book.
I think their role is critical in our schools and has been underestimated for years. I'm disappointed in the lack of importance and respect shown to their opinions, education, and expertise in selecting reading material for our children. Instead of leaning on our trained experts, book selection has been politicized and over-taken by residents uneducated in book selection. If it was up to me, the media specialists would be handling everything related to book selection in schools.
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?
In Martin County, we already have a way for parents to exercise their rights. MCSD uses the Destiny system, which allows parents to exclude books from their child's options. I want to push this solution out to more community members, as most don't seem to understand it's availability.
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?
To start, I would want the input of our media specialists. Books in a captive classroom should be selected based on the goals of the teacher, relevancy to the standards, and level of teacher support available and needed. While books used in the classroom should be oriented to both student interest and educational goals, books from self-selection in the library should have much more flexibility. Students can choose by interest, content appropriateness, and reading level. My view of self-selection is that it's primary intent is to develop a passion for reading, while also opening a student's mind to a variety of ideas and topics.
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.
This particular guidance was developed by the same extremist group that started the book challenges across the country. It is faulted in that it isolates a single passage that is out of context. One paragraph or sentence that stands alone is a far different experience than in the context of an entire book. For this reason a fair and public review of the book would allow professionals like media specialists to point this out to community members and book objectors. It would also allow for further evaluation under the laws and arguments for or against keeping the book.