School board pushes changes to book policies to next meeting
State bill requires district to check material for objectable information
FLEMING ISLAND – The school board met to advertise a notice of a public hearing for an amendment of the School Board Procedures Manual for Library Media Services and Procedures Manual for …
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School board pushes changes to book policies to next meeting
State bill requires district to check material for objectable information
FLEMING ISLAND – The school board met to advertise a notice of a public hearing for an amendment of the School Board Procedures Manual for Library Media Services and Procedures Manual for Instructional Resources, but it was pulled so members could get more information.
The item was discussed at length after board member Michelle Hanson pulled the item from last week’s agenda. The board engaged in long and productive talks about possible policy changes before it is advertised.
The item is about House Bill 1467, which was approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis and filed by the Secretary of State in March 2022. The bill requires school boards to define training for media personnel, reviewing and approving all books and publications. It also includes getting the general public and parents involved in the process.
The requirements, which took effect last July, also aim to identify the objective material of specific books and list those that have been removed.
The bill also aims to increase public participation in the transparency of selections and website availability of all instructional materials before purchase.
“It’s going to be a very, very, long time before those books get read. We have 11 parent volunteers. They are still in the appellate phase,” said Roger Daily, Chief Academic Officer.
Under the new amendments that would be approved, many of the books that are being challenged would return to the shelves since some are withheld under frivolous claims.
“The moment that you can vote on them, I can have them back on the shelves. Those books have already been categorized and are waiting to go back on the shelves,” he said.
The vote is planned to take place at the next school board meeting.
The books would remain off the shelves until the appeal is finalized.
The process has taken a long time because books that appeared to violate the statute were read first. With a limited number of volunteers, the process has been lengthy.
“We don’t have the resources and unfunded resources to bring (books) forward in a timely fashion,” Daily said.
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