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Agenda Setters vs. Agenda Reactors: Defining the Librarian’s Role in Policy
School librarianship, whether we acknowledge it or not, is a special interest. The right to read is a special interest. This may sound uncomfortable at first. After all, we often think of special interests as lobbyists or industry groups, but advocating for the centrality of libraries in education is similar. We are promoting a specific […]
When to Fight and When to Step Aside: Strategies for Addressing Good and Bad Bills
Not every bill requires the same response. Some demand an all-out campaign, while others are better left alone to unfold without drawing extra attention. The most challenging lesson for advocates is discerning when to fight and when to step aside. Two principles guide this discernment: School librarians often face legislation that undermines their work or […]
When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?
By Guest Writer Kavita Mohan* for EveryLibrary As we previously discussed in Politics in Practice (May 2023), U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) entered into a Resolution Agreement with the Forsyth County School District in Georgia following its investigation into whether the District’s removal of certain books from schools created a hostile […]
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Talking with the Class of ’99 about Censorship at their School
Mobilizing Alumni Networks for School Library Advocacy High school alumni are a potentially useful group for advocating about school library issues and initiatives. While some alumni have left your area, many towns and neighborhoods continue to have well-established networks of local graduates who can be mobilized for advocacy. With the current fight over censorship and […]
Fighting Public School Book Bans with the Civil Rights Act
The First Amendment is a crucial defense against book bans, particularly those targeting LGBTQ+ stories, critical race theory, and BIPOC authors. However, schools often navigate around these protections through "educational discretion." Beyond the First Amendment, the Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act's Title VI and IX provide avenues to challenge bans based on race and sex discrimination. A notable case in Georgia's Forsyth County School District demonstrates how these civil rights statutes can combat bans, offering a more direct path to restoring banned books. This approach highlights the importance of considering discriminatory impacts over intent in the fight against book bans, providing a potentially more effective strategy for upholding students' rights to information.
Parsing Religion in Public Schools
The First Amendment's Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses create a constitutional balance: the government cannot establish a state religion nor impede individual religious practices. This delicate equilibrium has posed challenges for public schools, which must remain religiously neutral while not infringing upon personal religious expression. Historical Supreme Court rulings have defined this balance by prohibiting school-led religious activities, while recent decisions have leaned towards protecting individual religious expressions, such as personal prayer, even in public school settings.
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Engaging Parents in the Future of School Libraries
Parents play a crucial role in the ecosystem of school libraries. Their advocacy, support, and involvement are often key to securing the budget to maintain and expand library services. Engaging parents effectively means communicating the multifaceted value of the library not just to individual students but to the entire school community.
Elevating the Visibility of School Library Programs Through Social Proof
Empower your school library advocacy through the power of social proofs. Discover how endorsements drive coalitions and funding success.
So What Rights Does a Student Shed at the Schoolhouse Gate?
Understanding Students’ Rights to Speech and Information under the First Amendment by Catherine E. Ferri*, Guest Blogger^ Understanding a K-12 student’s rights has always been complicated. The Supreme Court famously wrote in 1969 that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” In that landmark case, […]
ESSER Funds Sunset in September 2024. What Does That Mean for School Libraries?
If you’re involved in public schools, you’ve probably heard by now that the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds will end in September 2024. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were created to assist schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While a statutory end to pandemic relief funding has […]
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