Frisco ISD is looking to increase the role parents and guardians play in the books their students select at school libraries by allowing parents to create a list of books that their students are not allowed to check out.

“Frisco ISD Library Services has worked to increase parent engagement in their students’ reading experience through the implementation of email notifications and, most recently, the prohibited lists resource,” FISD Director of Library and Media Services Amanda Black said. “Specifically, the prohibited list resource is an optional tool that allows parents and guardians to create a list of books they would not like their children to check out. Titles that are prohibited by the guardian will be unavailable for checkout in the campus library for that student.”

For FISD, this initiative is designed to ensure that parents can do just that, while also ensuring that students can still access a plethora of reading materials of various perspectives.

“School libraries are important resources for students, and they should have access to a wide range of reading materials,” Black said. “Based on community feedback, we believe that providing a resource that gives parents a more direct role in their children’s reading experience will make them more comfortable with their children using the library and its resources. It will also help to increase parent-library partnerships and continue to promote a love of reading.”

For teachers, this initiative manifests in ensuring that books read in class are closely tied to the curriculum.

“My job is to educate students in the skills of close reading and writing within the confines of the district’s curriculum,” English teacher Vanessa Melvin said. “If we do check out books in the library, we try to make sure they are relevant to the skills being assessed for that unit.”

For library aide and senior Ishika Aggarwal, this initiative serves as a measure to shield students from inappropriate material.

“I think that this initiative is beneficial to students because it can protect them from reading things that they may not want to read or things that may not be appropriate for them,” Aggarwal said.

And most of all, for parents, this initiative, if implemented appropriately, will ensure that they don’t have to worry about their students being exposed to content that they aren’t ready for just yet.

“I think if it actually works, then it will definitely be beneficial for students and parents,” Redhawk parent Wei Huang said. “I read about the initiative and I think it has good intentions, because as a parent I care that my kids don’t have access to non-age appropriate books.”