Franklin County School Board approves literacy plan after months of debate over sixth‑grade 'Bookworms' novels

The Franklin County School Board on Wednesday approved a revised literacy plan that includes using four Bookworms novels with middle‑school students as part of a pilot reading program.

The plan passed after the board discussed operational questions raised last month and after administration representatives said they corrected oral reading fluency data and removed a state-requested secondary reading resource from the submission. Several parents and local educators urged approval during the meeting’s public‑comment period, while some board members asked for additional vetting and clearer logistics for parental access to the books.

Why it matters: The literacy plan is the instrument the division must submit to state authorities to comply with the Virginia Literacy Act and to formalize a consistent curriculum across grade levels. Board approval sets the division’s instructional direction for the coming two school years and governs what materials and training the division will use in classrooms.

Board discussion and public comment centered on the four Bookworms titles under consideration: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, The Boy on the Wooden Box, Brown Girl Dreaming and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Multiple residents and educators told the board the books contain weighty but teachable material that aligns with Standards of Learning (SOL) objectives; others asked for clarity on how the program would be delivered and how parents could review the books before classroom use.

During public comment Dan Bowman, who identified himself as a Franklin County resident who teaches at the college level, said he and his family had read the proposed books and supported their use for sixth graders. “The content is heavy, but it is our history, part of the SOLs, and I think handled appropriately throughout the four books,” Bowman said. Parent Angela Bowman and retired teacher Sherry Butler also urged the board not to remove the books; Butler invoked a broader history of book bans and urged the board to “be on the right side of history.”

Board members asked administration to keep the rollout transparent. Administrators said parents would be invited to vet copies of the novels at the middle school, submit written feedback to administrators and be given information in a newsletter once the plan was in effect. Staff said the curriculum decision could be changed in future years and that the division had already vetted other programs and materials that follow the state’s “science of reading.”

The board approved the literacy plan by voice vote after a motion and second; the clerk announced the motion carried. Administrators and board members said training for teachers this summer would align with the broader literacy approach even if the division later selects a different program.

A number of operational steps remain: administrators will publish how parents can review books prior to classroom use; the division will collect parent feedback forms; and the literacy committee will continue vetting alternate middle‑school curricula, with updates expected as the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) approves additional programs.

Board and staff cautioned that approving the literacy plan is not the same as permanently locking in the Bookworms texts. “Just because we adopt Bookworms this year does not mean that going into next year we could not change that,” one board member said during the meeting.

The board approved the literacy plan before moving to several related agenda items, including logistics for the pilot and other curriculum and training updates.

Looking ahead: Administration said it will post timelines and procedures for parent review and will continue weekly monitoring of VDOE approvals for additional curriculum options. The board also asked the literacy committee to continue vetting alternatives and to report back to the board in future meetings.