“Right to knows” are like a Lay’s potato chip; you just can’t eat just one or send only one. So, I sent more than one, more than a few. And more to come, but here was a first effort. Here was the “payload” (minus the normal boilerplate):
This request is for the Berlin/SAU 3 S
chool District library “card catalog”. This is for any and all books located in the following:
- District-wide “main” library
Each school within the District’s “main” library
If a school has multiple “main” libraries (such as Brockton High, Brockton, MA)
All classrooms with cataloged books that are tracked by the District.The information for each Responsive Record shall include:
- Name of the book
Name of the Author(s)
Content Summary
ISBN identification (or other such designated ID)
Name of the School
If a School has multiple libraries, a designation of which library is being referenced (in the case of Brockton High, the five libraries: Red, Azure/Blue, Green, Yellow, and the Science libraries)
Name/designation of the Classroom within a School
I’ll tell you about the others later (so far, 15 school districts) and it’s not too pretty.
I also know that a whole bunch of folks that normally don’t read GraniteGrok are about to find out as well and they aren’t going to be happy at all in a coupla/few days. They all voted against upholding Parental Rights last year. It’s almost like they agree that Public Schools should be able to override what Parents are trying to teach their children at home with respect to morality…and more.
I certainly don’t want that for mine.
The Berlin School District was an “interesting” case which is why I am using “the payload” from its RTK. I finally did get the card catalog contents for their schools but it took a bit. Turned out to be rather amusing from my perspective but that tale will be posted a bit later on in its recounting.
The important bit: Shouldn’t our elected and appointed officials be held accountable? Shouldn’t they hold themselves to be responsible to We The People? But why do some of our representatives, and the bureaucrats that work for them, go to great length, spending taxpayer dollars, in using lawyers to hide stuff from Parents?
That will continue until we all start telling them, in no uncertain terms, that “We pay your salaries and we put your butts into those seats. We don’t work for you”.
Note: IF you have a hankering / interest to see what’s in your child’s public school library, I can post the entire RTK here and you can adapt it as needed. Just let me know in the comments.
I’d be glad to have your help. You see, I have plans for this information…and the more I get, the better we Parents will be. And our children.
Second Note: the mention of Brockton High. That would be Brockton, MA where I grew up. I was in the first Class that entered into the new Brockton High school in 1970 and graduated in 1974. Half mile long from the Gym building through the “Academic” buildings ending at the Fine Arts building, there were 5600 kids that attended. While it was better equipped than some smaller nearby colleges, it had five libraries – one each in the four Academic buildings and one central Science library. That’s the reason why I mentioned it in “the payload” because I do not know how the various Districts, especially the larger ones, organize their collections. Thus, it made for a good example.
