An Important Letter to the Glen Ridge BOE
We are sharing an important email from Erin and Ingrid, two of the parents in Glen Ridge who are part of the movement to save the High School librarian position next fall. We hope that the School Board will do the right thing for students and the community.
Here's what Erin and Ingrid asked us to share:
Dear Neighbors,
Thank you for supporting Glen Ridge students and teachers by asking the Board of Education to reinstate the school library media specialist (librarian) position at Glen Ridge High School. We are encouraged by the broad support and attention this issue has received.
Through our petition and comments to the BOE, we heard our community say that this position is a vital one for continuing excellence in Glen Ridge schools and that, in light of the complexity of today’s information environment, that is more important than ever. Parents and other educational stakeholders clearly said that a certified school librarian should be teaching information literacy skills and cannot be replaced or reassigned to teachers with other areas of expertise--and of whom we already ask so much.
We also heard that the Board of Education commits to considering the reinstatement of the position once information about rescue plan funds is available, a position they reiterated in their post-meeting highlights email. The district is required to solicit community input as to how the funds should be allocated. We believe that this position must be restored, as its elimination causes irreparable damage to the curriculum and our students’ information literacy preparation for both college and the broader world.
We are committed to working with the Board to find better alternatives to the elimination of this position. We encourage you to attend the May 24th Board of Education meeting to continue to voice our community’s concerns about the elimination of this position and the impact of that on our students and teachers. The Board generally emails the agenda and Zoom link for the meeting at the end of the week. If you do not get these emails, please contact Barbara Murphy, Business Administrator/Board Secretary at [email protected]. We will be back in touch to provide more information as it becomes available over the next few weeks.
Thank you again for showing your support.
Sincerely,
Erin Ackerman and Ingrid Kozlowski
Glen Ridge parents
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This is a critical moment that will have lasting impacts on Glen Ridge students and families.
On behalf of Erin, Ingrid, and many other parents, we appreciate your help.
Please help spread the word across the Glen Ridge School community by signing the petition to the Board of Education and sharing with your friends, family, and neighbors: https://www.saveschoollibrarians.org/glenridgenj21.