Elementary school parents in Mahwah does not like a policy that reduces library time for children.
Every week, students at elementary schools in Mahwah could take out books from the school library. That changed at the start of this school year, and parents are concerned as to why. Some are downright angry.
Under a policy shift to have students receive more technology instruction, students in grades K-3 now take out books every other week and students in grades 4-5 take out books every three weeks.
“We’re hearing a lot of words and they’re the right words,” said Matthew Park, a parent attending a board of education meeting last week.
“And we hear people talk about how much they love reading and how (they) don’t want to take books out of kids hands. What’s being said is not matching up with objective reality and the reality is kids are getting fewer and fewer books into their hands.”
Superintendent C. Lauren Schoen said the district does not devalue reading and the policy change to check out books was not done to get rid of the library and media program, or the specialist position or to deprive students of books or reading time.
“Students access to books has not been dramatically limited,” she said. “Students still have access to books.”
Not enough, though, for Robin Canetti, a former librarian at Joyce Kilmer, one of the Mahwah elementary schools that’s affected.
Canetti, who retired two years ago, said the shift is disturbing. Toward the end of her career, Canetti said the majority of her lessons were technology, but she still had 10 minutes at the end of a class period to let students look for books.
She said the technology standards from the state introduce students to excel and data, not realizing having a book is just as valuable.
“Teach what you need to teach, but don’t sacrifice their time with books,” she said. “Our goal (as librarians) is to find the kid and the book and put them together. That doesn’t happen instantly. It happens over time.”
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It’s already happened with students, she said, including some who read letters to the board, expressing why they like to get books out of the library.
“My concern is what affect is this going to have on our children’s literacy and educational career as they continue into college?” said Jen Park, a parent, who is also a college librarian and wife of Matthew Park.
The district said it will review the policy again in January, but another parent, who didn’t want to be identified, questions how that will be done.
“How do you evaluate the change?” she said. “They don’t know what they’re looking for. That kind of concerns me.”
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Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2018/11/parents_say_dont_take_away_book_time_for_mahwah_ki.html