District commences Library Materials Review Committees
UPDATE
Thursday, December 1, 2022
The Library Materials Review Committees noted in the below release met this evening to cast their votes. The committees voted to return all four books to library circulation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 10, 2022
BEAUFORT – The first round of citizens expressing interest in serving on a Library Materials Review Committee were today randomly selected and notified via text and email to serve as members of one of the first four committees to commence. The first four books to undergo the review process are The Handmaid’s Tale, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Speak, and The Kite Runner as these particular titles are also utilized in some high school Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Committee members will be tasked with reading their assigned book in full and then meeting as a group to share and discuss findings. The value of the book is to be examined as a whole, considering the impact of an entire work, transcending individual words, phrases, and incidents.
Committee meetings will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. An initial meeting for committee members will be held on November 17, 2022. At this meeting, committee members will be provided information to ensure understanding of the review process and receive a copy of their committee book for review. A subsequent meeting date will be provided for the committee to complete its review utilizing the Beaufort County School District Review Committee Checklist and issue a written report of its findings to the appropriate parties, including the Superintendent and the Board of Education.
In response to 97 books being slated to undergo review by committee, the district has received more than 100 Library Materials Review Committee Interest Forms from community members, parents, educators, and administrators desiring to serve on a committee, with the majority of interest coming from community members.
As per the South Carolina Department of Education’s recommendation, committees are to include an odd number of the following members: at least one teacher with expertise in the content area or grade level; at least one school librarian; at least one school administrator; at least one parent representing a school family other than the complainant; at least one community member; at least one district-level director or coordinator with expertise in the content area; and at least one member of a School Improvement Council (SIC) within the district.
“We are moving forward with these committees as expeditiously as possible, and are grateful for the amount of community interest and willingness to serve,” said Chief Instructional Services Officer, Dr. Mary Stratos. “We encourage school and district administrators, parents, and SIC members to fill out an interest form so the remaining committees can be formed post haste.”