TheVoiceOfJoyce Florida and Houston, Texas politicians are creating educational deserts. Teachers are leaving Florida schools, voluntarily, to avoid Governor DeSantis absurd standards of education. In Houston, the school board has decided to close Libraries, fire Librarians and use Libraries for detection centers? What a horrid memory for poor kids. Associating libraries with detention, when libraries and books are to be cherished as places of learning,stimulating curiosity. There is nothing more enriching for growing kids and adults then reading books. I know, I’ve never stopped reading and learning, nor should you. With 53% of Americans reading at only the 6 th grade level, we’re under preparing kids for the future. Why are these politicians supporting poor education? It benefits their chances of re election. It’s a fact, children prefer authoritarians. Why support learning and curiosity, when an educated populace will vote you OUT!

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/29/houston-school-district-libraries-book

The largest school district in Texas announced its libraries will be eliminated and replaced with discipline centers in the new school year.

Houston independent school district announced earlier this summer that librarian and media-specialist positions in 28 schools will be eliminated as part of superintendent Mike Miles’s “new education system” initiative.

Teachers at these schools will soon have the option to send misbehaving students to these discipline centers, or “team centers’” – designated areas where they will continue to learn remotely.

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News of the library removals comes after the state announced it would be taking over the district, effective in the 2023-24 school year, due to poor academic performance. Miles was appointed by the the Texas Education Agency in June.

In a press release announcing the schools participating in the “new education system” program, Miles said: “I am overwhelmingly proud that this many HISD school leaders are ready to take bold action to improve outcomes for all students and eradicate the persistent achievement and opportunity gaps in our district.”

Lisa Robinson, a librarian retired from the school district, told local news outlet KPRC2 that her “heart is just broken for these children that are in the [NES] schools that are losing their librarians”.

Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, condemned the district’s move and said the solution to the problem of behavioral conduct was not to revoke access to books, especially in these underserved communities.

He said: “Are there students who need additional support? Yes, and I am 100% supportive of that. But it’s not an eithe/or. You don’t close the libraries, remove the librarians, and simply have the books on the shelf. What about all the other students? What are you saying to them?”


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