Our Mission
The Media Services Department will develop, implement, and enhance district-wide resources and media services that enrich teaching, nurture learning, and develop essential life skills for all students.
We strive for the success of being Future Ready Librarians that are learning-centered and include professional learning, ensure equitable digital access, invest strategically in digital resources, cultivate community partnerships, advocate for student privacy, lead beyond the library, design collaborative spaces, curate digital resources, and tools, empower students as creators and build an instructional partnership as outlined in the FLDOE FINDS Information Literacy Model and the AASL standards.
Duval County Public Schools has a school library media program with itinerant or full-time media specialists at the elementary level. Each media center is encouraged to offer flexible access, so students may access the library collection at any time of need, as is the system in our public libraries. Students in K-12 are given access to the public library using their student identification at Jacksonville Public Library working to give greater access to research and learning, digital libraries, kids and teen materials, and services. For questions, please Email Lisa Rivera-Scallan, Instructional Materials and Media Services.
Request to Limit Access to Books and Media Materials
Pursuant to HB 1069, all Florida school districts will adopt and publish on their website the process for a parent to limit the books and media materials his or her student can access in the school's library. School libraries extend from the school library media center to include classroom libraries.
School Administration:
As part of beginning of school year registration materials, the principal or designee will include directions for parents to complete an electronic form to limit access of books and media materials their child can access, through the Focus Parent Portal. Included will be information to access a hard copy of the form in the event the parent is not able to access technology at home or at school. Although this communication to families is required, completion of the form is at the parent’s discretion. As part of this communication, families will be notified that at any point in the school year they can complete the form.
The DCPS Books and Media Materials Access form will include the following required student information:
Legal first and last name
Name of school
Student identification number
Choice of access level: unlimited, limited, no access
If limited access is selected, the parent may select from a menu of genres or enter his/her limits
Parent/Guardian name
Parent/Guardian contact number
Parent/Guardian email address
Storage of Information:
Administration and instructional personnel associated with each student will have access to form submissions through their personalized Focus accounts. For hard copy submissions, administrators and teachers will store these in an electronic folder system/Focus.
Media specialists or instructional materials managers, as designated by the principal, will place the access information associated to each student into the district’s online media database system.
Parents have the option to update any submissions at any point during their child’s/children’s enrollment in Duval County Public Schools.
Procedures for Developing Library Media Center Collections
Selection Process:
All school districts will adopt a process for developing library media collections and selecting instructional materials pursuant to HB 1467 and s. 1006.283.
A trained certified media specialist will select books being made available to students through the school library, classroom libraries, and recommended or assigned grade-level reading lists. The selection of library media collections will be based on reader interest and support of the state academic standards and aligned to the curriculum, and the academic needs of students and faculty.
Media specialists will be trained annually on the procedures and selection process of collections and resources.
a. Developing a balanced media collection:
The selection of library media materials are further guided by a knowledge of the abilities, needs, interests, motivations, cultural patterns, and maturity levels of the students. Materials recommended for the purchase will be considered based on overall purpose, and support of state standards. alignment and curriculum, timeliness or permanence, the relevance of the subject matter, quality of the writing/production, readability and popular appeal, and authoritativeness. These procedures will consider the unique needs of the individual school programs based on professional knowledge of the curriculum and requests from administrators and teachers. Such procedures will also consider the needs of the individual student based on professional knowledge of children and youth and requests from parents and students.
b. Collection removal/discontinuance: Professional development will provide media specialists the practice of regular removal or discontinuance of books based on, at a minimum, physical condition, rate of recent circulation, alignment to state academic standards, relevancy to curriculum, out-of-date content, and required removal based on reconsiderations.
c. Providing quality collections: A fair and equitable collection based on collection analysis will provide for a continuance of viable resources in the library media center. In alignment with the criteria in HB 1467 and 1006.40(3)(d), reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection aids, journals, and guides should be consulted in the selection of library media resource materials. The selection committee will be fair and unbiased in the selection of a variety of materials and adhere to the requirements in HB 1467 and s.1006.40.
Submissions from Self-Published Authors- Self-Published Rubric - This is the tool that DCPS staff will use to evaluate materials. Contact the Instructional Materials & Media Services Dept for a copy.
Self-published Author Submission Form - Authors must complete and submit this form with any materials they wish to have reviewed. Contact the Instructional Materials & Media Services Dept for a copy.
PROCEDURES FOR CHALLENGED MATERIALS
The selection of materials for use with students in the teaching/learning process is a professional responsibility of teachers, administrators, library media specialists, and other educators. However, parents and students have legitimate and appropriate interests in the selection process and the choices which are made.
Sometimes these interests are expressed as challenges to the use of a specific material. The Procedures for Challenged Materials and associated documents and forms have been developed to assist school and district-level teams in addressing such challenges. The process outlined is appropriate for addressing materials of any physical or intellectual format, whether basic or supplemental to instruction, and in any subject area.
If a complaint is made by a parent or legal guardian of a DCPS student or Duval County resident, the following procedures will be observed by DCPS personnel:
I. Procedures for Challenging Materials – District level
If the petitioner submits a challenge for a material that is located in more than one school, the following procedures will take place:
1) After receiving a fully completed DCPS Reconsideration Form where the petitioner has proffered their evidence for reconsideration, the district’s Supervisor of Media Services and Instructional Materials will send the complainant an Acknowledgement Letter within 10 school days and the official reconsideration of the challenged material begins. The completed reconsideration form constitutes the petitioner’s documentary basis for reconsideration of the cited material.
2) After receiving a fully completed DCPS reconsideration form, should the petitioner object on the basis of FL statute 1006.28(2)(a)(2)(b)(I.) or (II.), i.e. “pornography” (s. 847.012) or “sexual conduct” (s.847.001(19)) the material must be made unavailable to students at that school within 5 school days and until the objection is resolved. This information will be relayed to school principals within the specific grade bands where the book has been challenged electronically and via interoffice school mail. Principals will communicate this information to their families.
3) The Supervisor of Media Services and Instructional Materials will send the Notice to Reconsider Use of Challenged Material letter to members of Material Reconsideration Committee. The media services/IM supervisor will provide copies of the challenged material for each committee member. If there are not enough copies of a book, members must secure material on loan from the public library or other sources. The media/IM supervisor can assist with securing materials needed.
4) Should the petitioner be a member of the district’s Material Reconsideration Committee (MRC), that member shall recuse themselves from committee work for the duration of that material’s reconsideration process.
5) In addition to the challenged material, the media services/IM supervisor will provide each MRC member a copy of the petitioner’s completed reconsideration form, any reports from the author or publisher if submitted, a copy of the DCPS “Procedures for the Selection of Library Materials” PowerPoint training deck for reference, Material Review Rubric and professional reviews, awards and/or honors, if any.
6) The Material Reconsideration Committee will follow these procedures:
a) Independently read, view, and/or listen to the material in its entirety, study the review procedures, including the selection of materials, state statutes, relevant professional reviewing sources, and complete the review rubric.
b) Based on the length, depth, and complexity of the material, schedule a meeting to provide a committee recommendation within a reasonable timeframe, (i.e. 30 days).
c) The MRC meets as a group and discuss material requested for reconsideration. The MRC Meeting will be noticed as a public meeting on the district’s website and posted in hard copy at the School Board building at least 7 days prior to the meeting.
d) The committee reserves the right to consult outside expertise, if necessary, in its decision-making.
e) For the committee to review and make its final recommendation, there must be a quorum (50% plus one).
f) The committee will make its final recommendation determined by the simple majority to 1.) retain the material in the school’s library collection; 2.) Remove from DCPS collection or 3.) Other recommendations posed by the committee.
g) By meeting end, each member’s rubric must be completed in its entirety and submitted to the media services/IM supervisor or designee.
h) The media services/IM supervisor will prepare and send a Final Recommendation Report of the Material Review Committee to the Chief Academic Officer or designee.
i) The Chief Academic Officer or designee shall provide the complete final report to all School Board Members no later than thirty (30) school days following the final recommendation of the Material Review Committee (MRC). The complete appeal package shall include a copy of the petitioner’s original Reconsideration Form with all originally proffered evidence, Public Notice of the convening of the MRC to review material, committee attendance, individual completed committee rubrics, professional reviews, awards, and/or honors, if any, and the final decision report from the MRC.
j) The School Board shall base its final decision on the complete report and decision of the district’s Material Review Committee and may include interpretation of Florida State Statutes that apply to the review of materials.
k) Ex-Parte communication with School Board Members is prohibited.
l) Per FL statute 1006.28 (2)(a)(2)(b), if the district school board finds the material meets the requirements of 1006.28(2)(a)(2)(b)(I.), (II.), (III.), or (IV.), the school district shall discontinue the use of the material for any grade level or age group for which such use is inappropriate or unsuitable.
m) The School Board shall take one of the following actions:
a. Approve the decision of the District Level Reconsideration Committee
b. Overturn the decision of the District Level Reconsideration Committee
c. Amend the decision of the District Level Reconsideration Committee
n) A Final Decision of the School Board will take place at a regularly scheduled school board meeting.
o) The Supervisor of Media Services and Instructional Materials will send a letter, via USPS and via email to the petitioner(s) after the final decision by the School Board, along with a copy of the final decision report.
p) The decision of the School Board will apply to all traditional schools. School principals within the specific grade bands where the book has been challenged will be notified electronically and via school mail. Principals will also share this information with their families.
q) The decision is final for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of the final decision.
r) However, a parent may request the Commissioner of Education to appoint a special magistrate, at the expense of the District, who shall determine the facts relating to the school district’s determination, consider information provided by the parent and the school district, and render a recommended decision for the resolution to the State Board of Education within 30 days after the receipt of the request by the parent.
s) If a material is not approved for use in DCPS and is in good condition, the book can be donated to a non-profit organization or can be sold, with funds being returned to the district’s media services account to purchase materials for schools.
II. Procedures for Challenging Materials – School level
If the petitioner submits a challenge for a material that is located in one school, the following procedures will take place:
1) The petitioner begins by contacting the school site which owns the material of concern and sharing the concern with the school’s library media specialist. If there is not a media specialist assigned to the school, administration will be the point of contact and will follow steps 2-9.
2) The library media specialist will listen to the petitioner’s concern, can share the criteria used for selecting material, the role the material in question, whatever additional information is needed regarding the item’s use, and, if appropriate, share options for resolution and support, including providing custom reading/materials recommendations based on the student’s interests and family's values and priorities and sharing digital catalog resources for families to create custom reading recommendations for their own student(s).
3) If further review/removal is requested by the petitioner, the media specialist will inform the petitioner of the Procedures for Challenged Materials.
4) After receiving a fully completed DCPS Reconsideration Form where the petitioner has proffered their evidence for reconsideration, the media specialist will send the petitioner an Acknowledgement Letter and the official challenge begins. The completed reconsideration form constitutes the petitioner’s documentary basis for reconsideration of the cited material.
5) Should the petitioner object on the basis of FL statute 1006.28(2)(a)(2)(b)(I.) or (II.), i.e., “pornography” (s. 847.012) or “sexual conduct” (s.847.001(19)) the material must be made unavailable to students at that school within 5 school days and until the objection is resolved. The principal will communicate this information to his or her families.
6) The media specialist will send the Notice to Reconsider Use of Challenged Material letter to members of the school-based Material Reconsideration Committee (MRC). The media specialist will provide copies of the challenged material for each committee member. If there are not enough copies of a book or material, committee members will seek materials through the public library or means of their choosing. The media specialist will assist with securing materials needed.
7) Should the petitioner be a member of the school’s Material Reconsideration Committee (MRC), that member shall recuse themselves from committee work for the duration of that material’s reconsideration process.
8) The media specialist will provide each school-based MRC member a copy of the challenged material and a review packet containing the DCPS “Procedures for the Selection of Library Materials” PowerPoint deck for reference, Material Review Rubric and professional reviews, awards and/or honors, if any. This packet should be created with the assistance of the Library Media Services supervisor.
9) The school-based Material Reconsideration Committee will follow these procedures:
t) Independently read, view, and/or listen to the material in its entirety, study the review procedures, including the selection policy and relevant professional reviewing sources, and complete the review rubric.
u) Based on the length, depth, and complexity of the material, schedule a meeting within a reasonable timeframe, (i.e. 30 days).
v) Meet as a group and discuss material requested for reconsideration. The school’s MRC Meeting will be noticed as a public meeting on the school’s website at least 7 days prior to the meeting. The media specialist should keep a date-stamped screenshot of the notice for records.
w) The committee reserves the right to consult outside expertise, if necessary, in its decision-making.
x) The committee will make its decision determined by the simple majority to retain the material in the school’s library collection, offer the resource to a different level (i.e. elementary offer to middle), recommend removal of the resource from their school’s library collection, or make another recommendation. This will be a ballot vote.
y) By meeting end, each member’s rubric must be completed in its entirety and maintained by the media specialist.
z) The committee will prepare and send a Final Decision Report of School Material Review Committee to the principal and the District’s library media supervisor. The library media supervisor will notify the District’s Chief Academic Officer.
aa) The principal will send a letter to the complainant(s) after the decision by Committee, along with a copy of the final decision report.
bb) The principal will communicate this decision to the petitioner and the families within the school.
cc) If the material is not approved, a surplus form will be completed and will be sent to Media Services for discard. Another option is to donate or sell the material to an interested non-profit organization.
II. Appeal of Final Decision – District Level Reconsideration Appeal
If the petitioner wishes to appeal the decision at the school level, an appeal can be submitted within 10 school days of receiving the Final Decision Report, in writing, to the principal. The Principal will send the appeal to the Supervisor of Media Services and Instructional Materials via email within three (3) school days and the district level review process will commence.
Educational Media Materials Committee Members – District Level
The Material Review Committee (MRC) is comprised of school board appointed individuals representing each board member’s district. Each school board member will appoint one parent of a student representing DCPS traditional schools within each board member’s district.
A commitment to participate in the MRC will span a period of twelve (12) months, with the option to serve two terms as recommended by the school board member he or she represents. If a board member’s term expires or resigns during the period of the committee’s annual commitment, the newly appointed school board member will appoint a parent of a student representing DCPS traditional schools for the duration of the current committee composition. Members must understand and agree that their task is to understand the procedures for district level review. They must also agree to secure the material in the event there are not enough copies, (i.e. library book) of the challenged material. Each committee must consist of:
o A certified media specialist (non-voting)
o An administrator (non-voting)
o Seven (7) appointed parents
When reviewing a material, the committee cannot move forward with the review and recommendation process without a quorum. A quorum is defined as 50% plus one of the overall MRC committee membership.
Once each annual MRT is formed, new members will receive the required initial training on Sunshine Law, by the Board attorney, and the material review process that includes selecting instructional and library materials and state statutes associated with the review and selection process for materials.
Educational Media Materials Committee Members – School Level
Members must understand and agree that their task is to understand the procedures for a school level review. They must also agree to secure the material in the event there are not enough copies, (i.e. library book) of the challenged material. Each committee will consist of:
· A certified media specialist (non-voting)
· An administrator
· A SAC member
· A parent of a child in the grade level band where the book is being challenged
· Two (2) teachers
When reviewing a material, the committee cannot move forward with the review and recommendation process without a quorum. A quorum is defined as 50% plus one of the overall school-based MRC committee membership.
Once each annual MRC is formed, new members will receive the required initial training on Sunshine Law, by the Board attorney, and the material review process that includes selecting instructional and library materials and state statutes associated with the review and selection process for materials.
Assurances
The Superintendent or designee will develop criteria for the selection of resource materials that (a) provide for the effective consultation of teaching staff members at all appropriate levels; (b) ensure that the Board's budgetary allotment for resource materials is efficiently spent and wisely distributed throughout the instructional program and the district; and (c) ensure an inventory of resource materials that are well-balanced and well-rounded in coverage of the subject, types of materials, and a variety of content.
The Superintendent or designee will evaluate the continuing effectiveness and utility of resource materials and recommend to the Board the removal of those materials that no longer meet the standards set forth.
Reconsideration of Media Materials
Parents, stakeholders, and community members, are able to review materials utilized in all of our schools by visiting the searchable list of library media materials.
For a searchable list of all materials available in the library/media center at each school site, please view the Destiny Follet Website
Select the "Catalog" tab.
The screen will default to "Library Search," located on the left of the screen.
In the "Find" box, type in the title of the book.
Please utilize the Material Objection Form if you would like to reconsider materials made available to students in classrooms or libraries, as well as instructional materials.
For those who do not have access to technology a hard copy of the Material Objection Form can be found in the front office of any school or by contacting Instructional Materials at 904-858-3676.