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Regular Session, 2013
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 69
BY REPRESENTATIVE NORTON
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reconsider
the motion the board adopted that authorizes school systems to request exceptions
to requirements in board policy relative to school libraries.
WHEREAS, as stated in the Constitution of Louisiana, the goal of the public
educational system is to provide learning environments and experiences, at all stages of
human development, that are humane, just, and designed to promote excellence in order that
every individual may be afforded an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential; and
WHEREAS, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
proposed revisions to Section 1705 of Bulletin 741, The Louisiana Handbook for School
Administrators, that, if implemented, would have eliminated crucial requirements pertaining
to the purpose, philosophy, and staffing of school libraries; and
WHEREAS, following widespread public concern about the detrimental effect that
these proposed revisions would have had on schools and students, BESE ultimately opted
not to revise the policy; however, BESE did adopt a motion providing that school systems
that need exceptions to the policy may make requests to the state superintendent of education
for his consideration; and
WHEREAS, granting school systems the authority to request waivers relative to
BESE policy requirements pertaining to school libraries and librarians is troubling to some,
because without these requirements in place, schools could face the possibility of losing
library staff, materials, facilities, and funding, which would be devastating to the students
and schools of the state; and
WHEREAS, if such waivers are granted, a school system could be exempt
from policies that require that each school have library or media services appropriate to the
instructional levels and exceptionalities of its students and that the use of funds for library ENROLLEDHCR NO. 69
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services for exceptional students be at least proportionate to that expended for regular
students; and
WHEREAS, additionally, while the policy as retained requires that each secondary
school have a library and a certain number of librarians based on the size of the student
population, some may interpret permitting school systems to request exceptions to these
requirements as a loophole that allows secondary schools the option of not having a library
or any librarians at all; and
WHEREAS, furthermore, some have voiced concern relative to the lack of oversight
and transparency that may result from the fact that a school system's authority to request
exceptions to the requirements of BESE policy relative to school libraries and librarians was
granted through the adoption of a board motion and not in any written rule or policy; and
WHEREAS, school librarians play an indispensable role in schools throughout the
state by providing vital educational services to students at every grade level that equip them
to succeed in the twenty-first century learning environment; and
WHEREAS, school librarians design and carefully curate well-rounded collections
of print and nonprint materials that are tailored specifically to support each school's
curriculum, and they provide expert instruction to students on effectively accessing,
evaluating, and utilizing information technologies for educational purposes; and
WHEREAS, school librarians cultivate learning opportunities that enable students
to become proficient in their pursuit of information and educate students in terms of
developing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that are essential for college and
career readiness and for citizenship and life; and
WHEREAS, beyond their key curricular role, school libraries give each member of
a school's learning community a venue for fostering lifelong learning and literacy; and
WHEREAS, ultimately, it is in a library, more so than in a classroom, where a child
learns to seek an answer to his or her own question–a skill that transcends the formal
education environment and serves the individual throughout his or her life, and an education
that does not nurture this skill is not a complete education; and
WHEREAS, all students need and deserve quality school libraries run by qualified
school librarians, and students who have access to school libraries that are well staffed and
well stocked are more likely to succeed in school and in life; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 69
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WHEREAS, it is critical that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education reconsider the motion the board adopted that authorizes school systems to request
exceptions to requirements in board policy pertaining to school libraries lest it should fail
to fulfill the state's constitutional duty of affording every student an equal opportunity to
develop to his full potential.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reconsider the
motion the board adopted that authorizes school systems to request exceptions to
requirements in The Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators relative to school
libraries.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state
superintendent of education, and the state librarian of Louisiana.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE