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Chatham County Schools outlines rollout for House Bill 805: searchable library catalog and phased classroom inventories
Summary
District technology staff said parents will be able to search school library catalogs and opt their child out of specific library books online under House Bill 805; classroom libraries will be inventoried in phases with a goal to publish grade/subject group lists by the end of the second quarter.
Mark Sandberg, chief of technology and school accountability, presented the district's plan to implement House Bill 805, which requires parent access to searchable catalogs of school library books and a process for parents to identify books they do not want their child to borrow.
Sandberg said the district currently has an online catalog and that parents with an email address matching Infinite Campus can request a code to log in and view books checked out by their child. The district plans a four-phase implementation through the remainder of the school year: Phase 1 will inventory libraries; Phase 2 will address classroom inventories; Phase 3 will publish lists; Phase 4 will move to maintenance mode. The district's goal is to have most inventories done by the end of the second quarter and to publish lists on the library website organized by grade level or subject, not by individual classroom (SEG 1012-1031).
To ease the burden of inventorying thousands of classroom books, Sandberg said the district will provide barcode scanners and an AI tool that can extract title/author information from a short video, or teachers can enter books manually. The district also said it will offer a form on the website for parents to request that a classroom book be made unavailable to a student.
Board members sought clarification about scope. Staff said House Bill 805 applies to library resources (electronic and print) used independently and excludes textbooks and curriculum materials that are part of the standard course of study (SEG 1160-1164). The district noted some subscriptions and ebook services are procured resources with different opt-out mechanics, and parents may need to opt out of those services entirely.
Staff acknowledged the workload challenge of inventorying classroom books — including donated and personal copies — and said libraries and librarians will manage the lists. The district said it will explore parent volunteers and other supports to speed the process and will be responsive if milestones need adjustment.
The board did not take a vote but was briefed on the implementation plan and timeline; the item will return for future action as needed.
