Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Materials topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident criticizes district's book removals, urges reliance on existing review procedures
Summary
A resident told the Pinellas County School Board on July 29 the district removed books from shelves without following established complaint procedures and warned about access problems in parts of the county.
During the public comment portion of the July 29 meeting, Nicole St. Leger criticized the district for removing books from school shelves without the formal complaint process and urged the board to rely on trained media specialists and existing review procedures.
"I was extremely disappointed to hear that the district recently decided to remove books from school shelves without any complaints from parents or community members," St. Leger said. She told the board that media specialists and teachers are trained to select age-appropriate materials and that the district's established review procedures have worked in the past.
St. Leger also raised access concerns in parts of Pinellas County she described as "book deserts," saying some children lack access to books outside school and that library hours can limit adult access.
There was no board action tied to the remarks; the board invited public comment and continued with its agenda.
