LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) – The Laredo Independent School District (LISD) has been navigating new library content procedures following the introduction of Senate Bill 13 late last year.<\/p>\n
The law expands parental rights, giving parents access to library catalogs and control over what their children can access.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also putting the responsibility on the parents. The parents need to know and they have input as to what they feel their child can or cannot read. So what this SB-13 does, it is asking the schools to look carefully,\u201d said Mely Paez, director of library and media services for Laredo ISD.<\/p>\n
The bill requires schools to establish a way for parents to challenge library materials. Each LISD campus has a grievance committee to handle complaints fairly.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo ensure that we\u2019re not just taking out any book out at any complaint but that we\u2019re also taking into consideration that there may be something valid if somebody is complaining,\u201d said Ariane Loranca, M.B. Lamar Middle School librarian. \u201cWhether it be a student or a parent, it\u2019s important for us to take into account all of the steps to ensure that we\u2019re not just getting rid of everything in our collection, but we\u2019re being mindful about what it is that\u2019s being questioned.\u201d<\/p>\n
For increased transparency, parents receive email notifications about what their children check out. Books obtained before the mandate have not been affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cTruly, we\u2019ve been doing this from the get-go. We are always very vigilant to ensure that the collections we\u2019re bringing into our schools are relevant, appropriate, not explicit in any manner. So, I suppose that it seems like it\u2019s very different, but it really isn\u2019t,\u201d Loranca said.<\/p>\n
LISD welcomes feedback and participation from parents interested in getting more involved in the ongoing effort to build library collections that meet the needs of their community.<\/p>\n
Books under review for Don Jose Gallegos and Bruni Elementary will be considered at the Feb. 12 LISD board meeting.<\/p>\n