Board also hears accreditation report.
The King George School Board on Monday agreed to assemble a committee to review proposed library book purchases that are contested by some members of the community.
The committee will be made up of a school administrator, a school counselor, a literacy coach, a media specialist, three teachers, and a parent or guardian. Its responsibility will be to review the quarterly list of proposed library book purchases and make a final determination about any books that community members have expressed concerns about.
The division will continue the practice established earlier this year of posting the proposed book order on the middle and high school websites, under the “Library,” tab and giving anyone in the community an opportunity to provide feedback.
Subscribed
The committee would step in when concerns are raised about one or more of the books. Division superintendent Jesse Boyd said one of the titles on the proposed purchase list for this fall did receive a complaint and the committee could decide whether or not it should be ordered.
“I have no problem with that,” Boyd said, and Jessica Drinks, the King George Middle School librarian, agreed that the committee will be “a good compromise” between having no review committee and one that would have authority over all 300-some books the libraries purchase each year.
The Board has been attempting this year to respond to concerns raised by some members of the community about content found in books available in school libraries.
Chair David Bush asked Drinks to provide the Board with information about the book selection processes used by other area school division librarians and whether other school divisions have established book review committees.
Drinks said Monday that she added the items to the agenda for discussion at a recent virtual meeting of the Virginia Association of School Librarians. She said that of the school districts who participated in the meeting, three—Warren, Goochland, and Franklin counties—publish proposed book purchase lists for the community to review and none have advisory committees that approve book purchase lists.
Drinks said she also received email responses from librarians in Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Chesterfield county schools. In general, the librarians said they prepare purchase lists based on student requests, peer-reviewed journals, and their own specialized training, and that purchases are approved by the school principal.
Board members said Monday, after approving the motion to create the review committee, that they hope to be able to leave the book issue behind and focus on other work.
Accreditation Report
Also on Monday, the Board heard a presentation on state accreditation for 2024-25, which is based on standards of learning tests administered this past spring.
Sandra Duff, the division’s testing coordinator, said accreditation is about “99.9%” completed and that final reports from the state will come out next week. All five of the division’s schools expect to be fully accredited for the 2024-25 school year, Duff said,
Overall pass rates in English and math at all five schools are higher than the statewide average pass rates of 75% and 70%, respectively, and also higher than or equal to pass rates in Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Caroline schools.
Duff said there are certain areas that will require focused attention this year as indicated by the gaps in math achievement among Black students at the middle and high school as compared to the overall pass rates.
Other achievement gaps that are rated at a level three, or “below benchmark,” according to the state accreditation system, are in math achievement among economically disadvantaged students and English learners at the middle school, and in English achievement among students with disabilities at Sealston Elementary School.
Duff pointed out that at the middle school, the achievement gaps in math among Black, economically disadvantaged, and English-learning students improved over the 2023-24 year, which points to a positive trend.
“Overall, this is kudos to our system,” Bush said. “Compared to other divisions, we really are doing very well.”
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