District parent urges Glenview schools to provide textbooks, higher-grade book-fair selections

Michael Tarkowski, a District 34 parent with a sixth grader at Springman, told the Glenview CCSD 34 Board of Education during public comment that his child and other students lack requested paper textbooks and that the district's book-fair selections do not match middle-school reading expectations.

"I have a sixth grader who there are no textbooks at Springman," Tarkowski said during the meeting's first public-comment period. He asked the board to ensure teachers provide clear syllabi so parents can track weekly assignments and to offer paper textbooks to students who request them.

Tarkowski also raised concerns about book-fair curation after volunteering at a recent event. He said titles at the fair appeared aimed at younger readers and urged district staff to review vendors' offerings before future events. "I do think that sixth and eighth graders should have an opportunity if they're not able to go to, because I've not, I've walked also through the LRC at, Freeman, and I see a lot of manga and a lot of books that I would consider, far less, aspiring for sixth to eighth graders," he said during the second public-comment period.

Board staff took the comments under advisement; the board's public-comment process was described in the meeting as listening-only, with staff expected to follow up as appropriate.