BESE Responds by Editing Revisions to Bulletin 741

Students spoke and BESE listened, sort of. BESE received more letters from students than anyone else in support of school libraries in Louisiana. What a wonderful testament to the librarians who run those libraries. Students know how much they have to lose if their school libraries are shuttered.

Open here to find section 1705 (with the most up to date revisions) of Bulletin 741, the Louisana handbook for school administrators. The sections marked in yellow are the additions that were made after BESE received letters from the public. The first page of this document is in regards to school counselors, scroll down to the second page to read about the school librarians.

Open here to read the summary of public comments that BESE received regarding changes to school counselors and school librarians in Bulletin 741. Again, the counselors are mentioned first, and you must scroll down to read about the responses to the school librarians.

Okay, the librarians did not exactly what they wanted because the new language allows principals to "determine how resources and assistance are provided to students." Which means some principals may decide to hire a teacher rather than keep their librarian. At least the document states that the school must provide students with instruction on how to access and use reference materials which we know can best be delivered by school librarians.

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