Ahead of a planned library review at Waterloo Region District School Board schools, trustee Cindy Watson has introduced a motion calling for further public consultation and clarity on how the board intends to identify books to remove from libraries and classrooms.
Introducing a notice of motion during a WRDSB committee of the whole meeting on Monday, Watson intends to call for a written report to be submitted by the end of January, outlining "the criteria, the framework, and the process" for the library and classroom library review - a process expected to take two to three years.
In addition to that call for additional clarity, Watson is also asking that the board develop a consultation process that would include "students, staff, parents and community members" in participation, while also calling on the public board to develop a "library resource review policy."
Speaking as a guest on the Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570, Watson said she's already heard concerns from constituents regarding a lack of clear framework, and a need for more information one the process that will be used to determine which books could be removed from library shelves in the public board.
Watson noted that previous conversations have indicated that the texts will be removed if deemed "harmful to either staff or students", as the process was initially brought on by a growing consciousness around work of equity and anti-racism.
"We have policies on consultation, on transparency and accountability - this conversation needs to happen publicly, and the biggest concern I'm hearing from students, parents, whoever's contacting me... it's really about the concern that books will be removed in private, and no one will have a say about which books." said Watson. "They're concerned that these decisions are being made in private, and those decisions decide what students can read.
Previous conversations regarding the library review in October had indicated that the process would use an earlier developed framework implemented this year - though a blog post from the WRDSB has indicated the board has set out to establish a "formal structure and guidance" to board schools.
That blog post, published on Monday, also indicated how the board typically conducts its Library Collection Review, though details are limited on how those processes handle issues of equity and inclusion - simply stating they're "guided by clear criteria ... with the goal of ensuring that students receive the best learning experience possible."
"So, at this point this isn't a library review because clearly the framework hasn't been developed yet," said Watson. "If the framework hasn't been developed, there are people out there that want to be a part of that. It's just really about making it public, having it balanced and... that community members, taxpayers, students, parents and staff have the opportunity to have their say and be a part of this process."
Watson noted that the concerns she's been hearing centre around the perception of the process being a "book ban," with some constituents expressing arguments over freedom of expression.
"There's lots of information about a review, library books and if they're torn or outdated - but we just don't know what the framework is and we don't know the titles... so at this point, it really is about getting more detailed information in a public way."
When asked what the trustee's plan will be should the motion not receive support from other members of the public board, Watson said she was unsure how she'd proceed - noting she'd likely have to "go back to the drawing board" in drafting up another motion. When the notice of motion was forwarded on Monday, Watson did receive support in having her proposal seconded by trustee Mike Ramsay.
