= ofes ot Gmmuniaone 2 Nowa Set WY o ar | Kalamazoo Publie.Schoo zo aah, A a 100 Goo) srats2 Every chil every opportunity, everytime! cer coy sglanszeotescoas can Susan Coney aes Semtee ‘The purpose of the diverse classtoom libraries project was to add books that represented the racial diversity of Kalamazoo Publie Schools to the districts elementary school ‘lassrooms, so students could see themselves represented in literature. About 62 pereent of the KPS student body consists of students from racial and ethnic ‘minorities, but, according tothe Cooperative Childten's Book Center atthe University of Wisconsin-Madison, nationally only 23 percent of children's books have characters from, racially diverse backgrounds ‘A-committee of teachers and administrators reviewed and vetted hundreds of books for the diverse classroom libraries, with a focus on whether the books had characters of color, were written by authors of color, and avoided offensive expressions or stereotypical representations. ‘After a teacher read her class one ofthe books submitted for consideration forthe program, which depioted a young tranagender child, the district received complaints fiom ‘three parents, The district made the decision to focus the diverse classroom book selection process on just issues of racial and ethnic diversity, and to avoid other diversity issues such as disability, socio-economies, and sexuality at this time, The district is sensitive to the concems parents have about the topies of gender identity and sexuality, and, especially, the need to ensure that those issues are discussed in an age- appropriate fashion, Recently, for example, the district approved a new reproductive health curiculum. Parents had the opportunity to review those materials before they were approved. And, parents reserve the right to opt thelr children out of those clases and discussions ‘The diverse classroom library projet is an ongoing project in its inital phase. The issue of including other areas of diversity may be a par of future discussions. We would also note that our general school libraries already include books that address issues of sexual Jdentty and related topies, when the literature is deemed age-appropriate.Kalamazoo Public Schools values the diversity ofits community and strives to support all students and their families. Recent news reports and social media posts have implied that KPS has pulled books with LGBTQ+ themes from its libraries, and it doesnot include LGBTO+ literature in its offering to students. That is not correct. KPS has not removed books with LGBTAs themes from its libraries. Do KPs schools have any books with LGBTQ+ themes? Every KPS school building has a library. The district library program includes 12 LGBTQ tkles in its elementary school libraries, almost 60 at the middle schools, and more than 250 in ts high school libraries. In addition, library staff have been trained on how to work with these mater ‘and to assist students. What isthe diverse classroom libraries project? ‘The diverse classroom library project, which launched in the fll of 2018, was designed specifically to increase student access to books by and about people of color, because more than 60 percent ofthe district's student population comes from communities of color. These collections of books were placed in elementary school classrooms to give children an ‘opportunity to read more books with racially diverse characters and authors. Were LGBT@+ books pulled from the diverse classroom libraries project? No. The diverse classroom libraries project had @ narrow focus to increase the racial and ethnic diversity represented in books in classrooms. There was an Incident in which a book, from the ‘poo! of books under consideration for inclusion inthe classroom libraty project and featuring a transgender character, was read by a teacher to her third-grade class. Some parents raised concerns about the book being read to their young children. That book was not included in the classroom libraries, Because it did not meet the basic criteria for that project — it was not written by nor was it about a person of color. What are the next steps planned to help students and staff understand this complex issue? ‘Many community members have contacted the district with concerns regarding the situation PS officials have already met with a representative from OutFront Kalamazoo, an LGBT+ advocacy group, about providing training and resources to help KPS support its students. District representatives have also connected with experts at Western Michigan University to discuss LGBTQ+ literature. The diverse classroom library project is an ongoing effort, and the next phase will include expansion to middle schools and to other ateas of diversity, such as LGBTQ themes on an age-appropriate basis