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State law requires classroom book catalogs; Caswell County staff racing to compile lists
Summary
Superintendent told the Caswell County Board that House Bill 808 is now law and requires districts to publish catalogs of books in classroom libraries and school libraries; the district plans to post lists and said schools are working to meet a September target.
Caswell County Schools staff told the Board of Education that House Bill 808 has become law and requires school districts to make classroom and library book lists available to the public, and they said the district is working to comply quickly.
The superintendent told the board that the law requires districts to display catalogs of books available for independent student use in classroom libraries and school libraries. Staff said the district already maintains library inventory in its Follett system but must add classroom library inventories, which can include donated classroom sets that are not necessarily tracked in the library system.
Media and IT staff will publish a web‑based catalog of library holdings and classroom sets so parents can review materials. The superintendent said the district’s media specialist and elementary principals are compiling classroom lists and that staff expect to have the lists ready by September, noting the timeline is the result of a statutory requirement.
Board members asked about staffing to support the task; the superintendent said a recommendation for an assistant to help with media/library work has not yet been made and that the work will be shared across teachers, media specialists and principals.
The superintendent also reviewed other recent legislative changes contained in the budget and related bills: a change affecting remote enrollment for military children, adjustments to state teacher and principal pay schedules mentioned in the budget documents, and opening of the Center for Safer Schools school‑safety grant timeline (staff said the district typically applies for those grants). The superintendent warned the board these are policy changes the district will monitor as they affect operations and grant opportunities.
The board did not take a formal vote on the catalog work plan; staff said they will return with implementation details and a timeline for publishing the material online.
