Dear Matt,

I hope you are well. 
The LMS position was nearly removed at Plainfield High School this past year when the Librarian (Joanne Titus) retired, but thankfully, the school system hired a new principal who insisted on restoring the position. I am pleased to report that hey just hired a newly certified, ARCLMS-trained LMS who I am sure is going to do a fantastic job. 
I am a resident of Plainfield, so last spring I went to the BOE meetings to fight the cut. At the meetings, the superintendent made the claim that the NEASC language leaves room for hiring non-certified personnel. We are just about to have our NEASC Collaborative Conference next week, and (of course-ha, ha) I am one of the Accreditation Coordinators for our school, so I have the NEASC language handy. Principle 4.4 states, "All students receive library/information services that support their learning from adequate, certified/licensed personnel. The Plainfield Superintendent seemed to think that "certified/licensed personnel" meant that the Library could be run by someone other than a certified Librarian. He cited circulation stats and pushed for more of a technology specialist (not a teacher librarian). While this is definitely not in the best for our students, I think it is important for us to be aware of the possibility of more districts trying to get away with a liberal interpretation of the NEASC language in order to try to save money, etc. Plus, Principle 4.4 is not a "foundational element;" in other words, administration could argue that they can maintain their accreditation without fully implementing the 4.4 principle.  

Thanks for bringing this up, and best wishes to your friend.  

Have a great weekend,
Cindy

Cindy Ouillette
Tourtellotte Librarian
Freshman Seminar/Senior Capstone Teacher
Tiger Pals Coordinator
Tourtellotte Student Leadership Team/Student Council Advisor 
785 Riverside Drive North Grosvenordale CT, 06255
Phone: 860-923-9303
Currently Reading: The Women by Kristin Hannah

From: CASL-L <casl-l-bounces+couillette=thompsonpublicschools.org@mylist.net> on behalf of Matthew Cadorette <MCadorette@waterfordschools.org>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2024 1:00 PM
To: 'casl-l@mylist.net' <casl-l@mylist.net>
Subject: [CASL-L] LMS Removed?
 

Hi Folks:

 

Does anyone have any knowledge of a school librarian position being removed despite the NEASC recommendation?

 

If the position was removed, was it ever restored?

 

Asking for a friend (no really).

 

Thanks,

Matt

 

Matthew Cadorette

Librarian

Waterford High School

20 Rope Ferry Road

Waterford, CT 06385

(860) 437-6956

 

Billy Pilgrim has become unstuck in time

     Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut

 

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