Service for parents to monitor children’s books

Reporter: Taylor Wirtz Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

Public schools across the state with empty shelves in the libraries. Banning books that some say contain ‘sensitive material’ has sparked a lot of debate.

But there’s actually a service in Lee County that lets parents monitor what books their children check out.

While that may be known to some, there is a new feature to see all of the books in the library at once.

The Lee County School District. CREDIT: LEE COUNTY

Most of the parents didn’t even know the tool existed but they were glad to hear it did. They said it’s already hard enough to know what’s going on in their child’s mind and this is just another way to keep them safe.

The debate about what your children are reading is nothing new in Florida.

“Parents when they are sending their kids to school should not have to worry about this garbage being in the schools,” Ron DeSantis said.

But for parents in Lee County schools, there’s a feature you may not know about that could help you keep tabs on it.

“The individual ability for a parent to identify what books are in their child’s library, and what they’re checking out has always been there. It’s just not been very frequently used,” Rob Spicker, a spokesperson for the Lee County School District, said.

With the use of an online Destiny account, parents can see what books are available in their school library what books are being checked out, and even limit certain titles.

“They do have the right to be involved to make decisions for their child. And so it’s just a reminder of the service that is there for them,” Spicker said.

The parents that WINK News spoke with said it’s a good resource. It’s just another way to keep an eye on their children when they can’t physically be there.

“It’s your job, pretty much to watch what your kids are doing, and the fact that that is available to us, it should be utilized,” Mana Stasiakapke, a parent said.

They think it could also be a way to keep tabs on their child’s well-being.

“When you can see what they’re checking out, you can get ideas what’s going on in their head…if they’re checking out, you know, disturbing books..You can have conversations with them,” Christina, another parent said.

Adria Levy said she won’t be limiting what her children check out.

“I’m pretty open about what my kids choose to read,” Levy said.

But she does think it’s a helpful way to connect with them.

“It kind of keeps us more up to date with what our kids are interested in reading,” Levy said.

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