Useful to parents or "crazy beyond words"?
Opt-in notification alerts Orange County parents when their child checks out a school library book
The new school year is about to begin in Orange County, and parents will again have the option of receiving a notification when their child checks out a school library book. To get more intel on this practice, I contacted Laura Byram, school board clerk for the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), and Dr. Renee Honaker, OCPS executive director of secondary education.
Both Honaker and Byram stressed that the opt-in notification is not school board policy. Byram told me, however, that “this practice does align with policy IIA Instructional Materials, which states that parents have the right to inspect instructional materials, but that policy does not specifically reference library book notifications.”
Honaker described the notification system as “a service we provide to parents who want to utilize it. We've always had the capability to have parents and guardians receive an email when a book is checked out, but we realized that not all parents and guardians were aware they had that choice. To ensure everyone knew, we put information on each library's website in December of 2022 and in the parent-student notifications sent out at the beginning of the year starting with the 2023-24 school year. Less than 2 percent of our families have opted in to the service.”
That is a tiny number in a school division with roughly 5,000 students. Thinking over Honaker’s email, I considered the possibility that these optional notifications are a benign way to keep interested parents in the loop. Maybe students don’t mind if their folks know which books they’re checking out, and probably some parents are thrilled to know their children are reading actual books instead of benumbing themselves online.
OCPS has security cameras all over every school building in the county, and there is an app that allows parents to monitor whether their child is on the right bus on the way to and from school. The cameras are an unfortunate but justifiable intrusion. The bus monitoring app is a valuable tool. But to my mind, the library book surveillance option is different. Even if few parents avail themselves of it, it still dangles the possibility of heavy-handed helicoptering.
“Slippery slope toward censorship”
In response to my request for readers’ opinions on the subject, I heard from Amy Tetervin of Rapidan. She described the notification system as “too crazy for words.” She wrote me, “If the parents are being parents, they can see what book their child is reading.”
After I shared Honaker’s description of the opt-in practice with her, Tetervin held firm. “I find this disturbing because I am pretty extreme about everyone having the freedom to read. In addition, kids are surely reading all kinds of material on the internet, so why monitor school library books? Reading is a good thing for anyone.”
I contacted Sara Shotwell Jaeger of Orange, who often speaks during public comment at Orange County School Board meetings and objects to the sharp right-wing turn a majority of the board has taken in recent years. She wrote me that she sees the opt-in notification system as “a slippery slope toward censorship.”
She said, “I think it is important to know what your children are interested in, connect over those subjects and address any questions or concerns that may arise from the reading material. It’s a parent’s responsibility to be close enough with their child that they can share this information with each other willingly. Reading needs to be encouraged, not discouraged.”
“A great idea,” especially for parents of elementary school children
Not everybody is upset by the notification feature. Patrick Hand of Rapidan pointed out to me that parents are the ones “on the hook” if their child loses a library book. He suggested it could be useful to keep track, especially if a child is checking out a large number of books.
I asked Orange County High School’s student council president, Sarah Wiles, for her view. “I had no clue that was even an option for parents,” she texted me in response to the screenshot I sent her of the notification link on the OCHS library page. “I think this would be even more beneficial to elementary school parents. Giving the parents the opportunity to stay on top of their kids’ library books is a great idea.”
A chilling effect on reading?
I haven’t determined how many nearby counties offer the library book notification option, but I know it’s available in the Fauquier County Public Schools. I asked Kathy Davis, the librarian at Fauquier High School, whether the practice could have a chilling effect on reading, if students discover their parents are monitoring their book selections. She replied, “Absolutely, particularly at the middle and high school level where kids are more likely to be finding themselves in books.”
On the continuum of molehill to mountain, the low participation in Orange County makes a good case for molehill. But I can’t help thinking that if even one child puts a book back on the shelf for fear their parents will criticize their selection or ask prying questions, then harm has been done.
File under: molehill with mountain potential.
The drought, continued
We’ve had a bit of rain. The grass is growing faster and greener, and I have experienced an actual cool breeze. But Byrd Street weather correspondent Greg Lillard, farm manager for the Northern Piedmont Center in Orange, cautions that Orange County is still in a drought, and it sure looks and feels that way. Take a look at the dam on the Rapidan River—talk about dry.
Rep. Spanberger praises Orange County “agitator” Bill Speiden
Orange County hosted the 8th annual Piedmont Democrats summer rally and fundraiser on Saturday at the American Legion Hall in Orange. An energized crowd of about 150 people cheered loudly for the speakers, including keynote District 7 Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who’s running for governor of Virginia; Eugene Vindman, candidate for Spanberger’s seat in Congress; and Sara Ratcliffe, candidate in the Virginia House of Delegates’ newly formed 62nd District, which includes the western half of Orange County.
During her remarks, Spanberger, who has served in Congress since 2019, recalled her first meeting with Orange County Democrats, a very small group at the time. One member of that group was Bill Speiden of Somerset, who handed her his business card. When Spanberger discovered that the retired dairy farmer’s card described him as—among other things—a “political agitator,” she said she realized she might make some headway in Orange County after all. Speiden, sitting in the front row, was all smiles as Spanberger expressed her appreciation to him.
Artist’s Loft
This week, Byrd Street launches a new series, “Artist’s Loft,” which features works of art and other interesting creations made by people in and around Orange County. We begin with “Betsy’s Barn in Bloom,” a painting by Ruthie Windsor-Mann of Washington, Va. The painting is oil on panel, 16 by 20 inches. It was inspired by Ruthie’s visit on April 29 of this year to the home of her friend Betsy Brantley, who lives in the Montford area of Orange County. (Coming up in a future “Artist’s Loft”: Filmmaker and photographer Richard Knox Robinson of Orange.)
Ruthie’s commentary
Paint the essence and aim for the drama. Without light, this would be an impossible task. There is a natural, ordinary light that allows us to see, and then there is an extraordinary light that allows the mundane to glisten. Painters wallow and thrive in that difference. This exceptional, glistening light greeted me when I rounded the corner and saw Betsy’s barn. The light on the flowers and the white barn was ethereal and, as an oil painter, I couldn’t wait to tackle the essence of what I sensed. I took plenty of photographs and gave myself some time for the future painting to germinate and percolate in my brain.
The major decisions were made in the blocking-in process. I omitted the extraneous objects. My goal wasn’t to copy. After all, copying isn’t art. If copying were the intent, I would have simply quit after photographing the barn. Creating art is all about the painter becoming a vessel to offer alternative ways to see. The painter interprets and allows the viewer to interpret as well. Copying leaves no room for others to participate in the process.
The fun began after I blocked in the essentials, bearing in mind the need to establish the lightest lights and darkest darks. After all, a painter needs those darks to allow for that luscious light. With Betsy’s barn, I was able to achieve my goal of forgetting that I was involved in the process. In sports this is referred to as “muscle memory.” I ceded control and simply had a grand time. I love being astonished by the result. —Ruthie Windsor-Mann
Thank you for providing some insight and perspectives into how parents and students feel about this optional library notification for parents! I also enjoyed the focus on art and the artists views. Both great articles thanks again
Great read today!