Due to public request, there will be a formal hearing on the social studies standards. The hearings are scheduled for November 8, 2023, 6-8pm and November 9, 2023 1-4:15pm. You can find the links to join these hearings at The American Experiment website https://www.americanexperiment.org/tell-it-to-the-judge-raise-our-standards/
An interview you may find interesting recently took place the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The series is called Dialogue Across Difference and is hosted by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. The guest was the Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera and she discusses the topic “Parents Matter” and how they are working with parents in Virginia to improve academics and schools. The interview is about 1 hour long, but you can listen at 1.25-1.5x speed and still enjoy the interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWnLc1bYueU
Minnesota Parents Alliance https://minnesotaparents.org/about/ is a wonderful resource to assist parents in being involved in their school district. They are hosting a parent advocacy training session on Wednesday, October 19, 2023 via Zoom, free of charge, from 7-8pm. You should be able to register here https://www.simpletix.com/e/parent-training-session-building-relations-tickets-147997
The next Coffee with the Superintendent of Owatonna Public Schools is October 26, 2023, 8-9am, at the district office, 515 West Bridge Street, Door #1. Anyone can attend to ask questions and discuss what’s going on in the district. If you’d like to get more information like this from the district, you can sign up for the e-newsletter https://www.isd761.org/our-district/news/e-newsletter-and-press-releases
On the sidelines for school board work, as a parent I have questioned a few library books, and used the resource form that is listed on the school district website under policy 606 to bring those questions and concerns to the media specialist: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1657734918/owatonnak12mnus/egcv54ngk3fuo7pqdzxy/606FormRe-EvaluatingaResource2022.pdf One of the books I had concerns about was in the middle school library, the other was in the high school library, and after review by the media specialist and the review committee, both books are now only in the high school library. The books are: Sold by Patricia McCormick published in 2006 and Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, published in 2009. As of now, our schools book selection is guided by policy 606. Our media specialist director explained the protocol to me for choosing library books:
- Each media center selects materials and resources that support, enrich, and help implement the educational philosophy of the OPS district.
- Considerations are based on recommendations from faculty, staff, students, reviews in reputable media resources, material previews from vendors and publishers, and by subject knowledge and expertise of the District Media Specialist.
- Selection of materials and resources is based on the evaluation of the existing collection, curriculum requirements, and the diverse needs of the students and staff.
That’s all for now. Next regular school board meeting is 10/23/2023!
Elizabeth for Owatonna Schools 
I am curious what your objection to those two books was based on?
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Hello, thank you for asking! The book Sold was in the middle school library and has been moved to the high school library. This is a book about human trafficking and the sex slavery of a 13 year old girl. There are multiple descriptions of rape and abuse in this book. My concern was that this book was available to students ages 11-14 and and didn’t feel that it was appropriate for this age group, especially without parental permission. The book Tricks is a fictional story about 5 teens that make poor decisions involving prostitution and drug use, with harsh descriptions of rape, sex, drug use, and severe abuse. I questioned the educational value of this book and how it would support the academic growth of our students by being in a public school library. Our media specialist explained to me that some books are chosen based on feedback from students and staff so that books are representative of student experiences and can provide “life education.” I still question the benefit of this book in our school’s library and feel it would be best saved for the public library and book stores. I appreciate you asking questions, thank you!
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