Bristow Public Schools Giving Parents More Control After Complaints About Books

Bristow Public Schools has finished reviewing nearly 50 books in its libraries, which parents raised concerns about before the holidays.

The district said it is now giving parents control over the access their kids will have to books at school.

After about two months of reviews, the librarian at the high school said her goal was to get most of the books that were taken out of circulation back on the shelves.

When Librarian Allison Hilburn scans a book the district has flagged as mature content, or "16 +,” the computer will make a distinct sound that alerts her and the student that the book may contain mature content.

Parents can decide whether their child can check those books out.

"We've actually only had a couple of people opt out of the 16+ material. And when I say 'couple,' I mean two. So literally two students,” Hillburn said.

Since November, librarians, a counselor and some teachers took the time to read 47 books, which parents raised concerns about.

"You can't really take a snippet from a book and determine whether or not it is deemed acceptable or not,” Assistant Superintendent Krista Burden said.

Burden said nine of those books on the list were never found in school buildings. Seven books now have a "16 +" content flag.

Four books are AP suggested reading titles, which the district wants students to have access to. The district said eight were removed from circulation and the rest are going back on the shelves.

Going forward, Burden said parents have three options. Parents of high school students can opt them out of having access to 16 + books, parents can opt their children out of individual classroom libraries, or they can opt their children out of having access to library books in their school altogether.

"If a parent chooses to opt their child out of the media center and out of any classroom libraries, then obviously we don't have reading materials to provide them,” Burden said. “So parents would need to provide that reading material for their child."

Burden said going forward, parents will be required to fill out a reconsideration request form if there are any more concerns about books. She said during this most recent process, no parents followed the district’s policy by filling out a request form.