29/06/2023
Santa Rosa Superintendent Announces
Book Collection Update
Dear Santa Rosa School District Families and Citizens,
Santa Rosa Superintendent Announces
Book Collection Update
Dear Santa Rosa School District Families and Citizens,
In preparation for the upcoming school year, I wanted to reach out to provide an update on our District’s book collections. As you may know, school districts throughout Florida and the Nation are reevaluating the books to which students have access. Indeed, there is new legislation in Florida regarding classroom and school libraries. This is not just a Santa Rosa County School District issue. This is a local, state, and national issue.
Two recent bills passed in Florida (House Bill 1467 in 2022 and House Bill 1069 in 2023), address requirements for school districts to address concerns that some books in schools may not be appropriate for student access. In our District, we have 36 school libraries with over 500,000 books. These library collections have been developed over the past several decades. Additionally, there are approximately 500,000 books in classroom libraries, many of which our teachers, parents, community members, and volunteers have purchased using their own money over the years. The goal of both classroom and school libraries is to foster a love of reading in our students - not to expose them to inappropriate content.
Importantly, I want to highlight a few of our District’s processes, so you understand how dedicated we are to providing appropriate materials to our students.
1. As of July 1, 2023, our District’s elementary classroom libraries that are available for student use are online and searchable. These materials have also been reviewed by a certified library media specialist. Parents and guardians can allow or prohibit their children from accessing certain materials potentially available to them.
2. Our school library personnel regularly review school library materials to identify materials that may need to be removed or discontinued. Materials may be removed or discontinued for a number of reasons, including because of (1) physical condition, (2) rate of recent circulation, (3) misalignment to state academic standards and relevancy to curriculum, (4) out-of-date content, (5) inclusion of content that does not align with Florida law, (6) inclusion of content that is prohibited under F.S. §847.012, (7) the objection process outlined below, and other legally-permissible reasons. Our trained school library personnel are aware of content requirements as set forth under Florida law including, without limitation, the requirements in F.S. §§1006.28(2)(d) and 1006.40(3)(d). To be clear, this proactive review process occurs even in the absence of an objection from a parent of a student, a resident of the County, or an employee of the District. Essentially, the District does not wait for a member of the public to file an objection in accordance with School Board Policy 4.22 before a particular piece of media may be removed from a school library for legally permissible reasons.
3. Consistent with Florida law, our School Board has adopted a policy that affords a parent of a student, a resident of the County, or an employee of the District the opportunity to object to the use of a specific material. The policy is School Board Policy 4.22. This policy clearly describes the process related to how objections must be handled and resolved, including objections asserting that material made available in a school library contains content that is pornographic or prohibited under F.S. 847.012, is not suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented, or is inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used. This policy ensures fairness to all our stakeholders so that they have an opportunity to have their objections reviewed and heard.
4. In light of recent statutory changes (House Bill 1069) that become effective on July 1, 2023, our School Board Policy 4.22 will be revised in the coming weeks. Nonetheless, even prior to any change in School Board Policy 4.22, our District will implement the requirement that any material that is subject to an objection on the basis that it is pornographic or prohibited under F.S. 847.012 or depicts or describes sexual conduct be removed within 5 school days of receipt of the objection and remain unavailable to students until the objection is resolved (except for those materials that are exempt from this provision under Florida law).
Currently, all District middle school and high school libraries are closed to students for the summer.
If you are interested in objections received by the District, we have created a link on our website (www.santarosaschools.org) that allows you to track the status of all objections. Of note, on May 23, 2023, the District received its first book objection under School Board Policy 4.22. As of June 29, 2023, the District has received a total of 14 objections. As required by Florida law, the District followed School Board Policy 4.22 to address each reconsideration request. Many of the books were immediately weeded from collections by school librarians based on legally permissible reasons. Other books have been quarantined and school library committees will review the books to determine if a book will remain in the collection or be removed. To be clear, if a book in one of our libraries is found to be in violation of F.S. 847.012, it will be removed immediately. For additional information regarding the District’s reconsideration process, please feel free to view the recorded School Board meetings for April, May, and June 2023 at the following link: https://santarosacountysdfl.new.swagit.com/views/596/school-board.
As we approach the start of the 2023-2024 school year, I also want to recognize the hard work and dedication of our School Board, administrators, teachers, support personnel, parents, guardians, students, volunteers, and community members. Santa Rosa County District Schools is one of only 14 academically high-performing school districts in the entire State of Florida. During the 2022-2023 school year, our students earned an 81% increase in industry certifications. Our seniors had an 18% increase in scholarships, totaling over $33,000,000! Our students also excelled on state assessments, performing 7-22% above the state average in 20/21 tested areas. Over 30,000 students’ parents and guardians have trusted Santa Rosa County District Schools to love, educate, and prepare their children for graduation and a successful future. We thank our families for their continued trust and welcome feedback on how we can continue to ensure the highest quality education possible.
Respectfully,
Dr. Karen R. Barber
Santa Rosa County Superintendent of Schools
