Administrative Policies Handbook 1

Running head: POLICIES

Administrative Policies Handbook and Issues Paper

Kimberly Exley

FRIT 7132

Dr. Repman

December 1, 2008
 Administrative Policies Handbook 2

Administrative Policies Handbook and Issues Paper

Media Center Strengths Changes Needed or New Policy Needed

Policy of

Policy
Accountability for School None needed
Media personnel
Equipment and as well as
Materials students
are held
IFBD–Media accountab
Centers le for lost
Revised 10/16/2003 or
damaged
equipmen
t or
materials.
Criteria for Media Acknowledges The present policy is extremely vague. The website here gives
Selection the need extensive selection tips based on the ideas in Information
for a Power.
curriculu http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html
IFBD – Media m that
Centers changes
Revised 10/16/2003 with the
needs of
the
students.
Acknowle
dges the
need for
resources
in various
formats.
Copyright Distinctly The present policy states that there will be one person in each
compliance states that school who is responsible for disseminating current copyright
the school information to everyone there and for obtaining copyright
district clearance before works are used. This is a huge responsibility
IFBD-Media will abide for one person. This needs to be changed so that this
Centers by all responsibility does not fall on a single person. The policy also
Revised 10/16/2003 copyright does not state specifically who this person should be at each
and fair school.
use laws
and
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disciplina An example of one school system’s copyright compliance policy,

ry action which seems thorough and reliable can be found at
will be http://www.schoolunion44.org/PolicyOnline/E/EGAD.pdf
used for
those who
willfully
disregard
these
laws.
Disposal of Media States that None needed
Equipment/Hardwar outdated
e or
damaged
IFBD-Media Centers media
Revised 10/16/2003 materials,
computer
s, or
peripheral
s will be
discarded
with the
approval
of the
school
media
committe
e and in
accordanc
e with
local,
state, and
federal
guidelines
and
restriction
s.
Reconsideration of Policy None needed – this seems to be the most thorough of all media
challenged materials includes a
specific center policies.
IFBD – Media procedure
Centers for
Revised 10/16/2003 Handling
challenges to
books or other
media
including
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notification of
the school
principal and
school board
if necessary.
Access to States that This policy should be updated to allow for minimized protection
Inappropriate filters may for classroom teachers who would like to use blocked features
Material be used to for instructional purposes. For example, many educational
block or videos and other websites that include videos, music, and
filter imagery that would enhance classroom and media center
inappropri
IFBGE-Internet lessons are blocked by filters.
ate online
Safety informatio
Adopted 7/20/2006 n. Staff
may
disable or
minimize
protection
for
research
purposes.
School Volunteers Regulates and Unfortunately, in today’s environment, safety is always an issue.
holds This policy should be updated to ensure that school volunteers
IFCD school have undergone some type of background check before being
Adopted 1/15/2004 volunteer allowed to work with our children. One such policy can be
s to the viewed at
same http://www.brentwood.k12.mo.us/District/volunteers.htm
rules and
policies
as
employee
s
Student Fees, Fines, States that the The current policy is a broad policy encompassing any fees that a
and Charges school student may incur including all academic areas, sports, clubs,
may media center, parking fees, etc. The policy needs to be revised
JS charge to handle fees on a more individualized basis. For example,
Revised 12/10/2003 students a an overdue book fine may only be a couple of dollars while
reasonabl band fees may be hundreds of dollars. These should be settled
e fee for differently.
lost or
damaged
materials
and that
the
principal
may file
suit to
recover a
 Administrative Policies Handbook 5

claim if
necessary
Accessibility for No current New policy needs to be added that addresses the technological
Students with policy needs of students with disabilities. With a few simple
Disabilities exists modifications to computers and other technology, these
students will be able to navigate school and media center
websites, research online, and use print and other electronic
media more easily and efficiently. All of these modifications
will empower them with new skills thus making them more
independent and information literate learners. (This issue is
discussed in more detail in the following issues paper topic.)

Making School Web Pages and Other Technology Accessible

To Students with Disabilities

School library media centers must develop and abide by an array of policies regarding

issues from fines to Internet safety and acceptable use to selection and removal of media

materials. Upon reviewing the relevant media center policies for schools within my county, I

discovered that there is a lack of policies dealing with accessibility for students with disabilities.

These are technological times, and many computer-centered tasks that most students perform

readily can often be challenging for students with visual, hearing, or other disabilities. However,
 Administrative Policies Handbook 6

with a few simple modifications, these students can also enjoy the full benefits of today’s

technology.

Many schools today are choosing to use a school web page, teacher WebPages, and

media center WebPages to keep parents and students informed of school activities, assignments,

and upcoming events. Many of these pages even offer information and links that lead to other

educational sites and sources. These WebPages can be great assets to students when the students

are able to read and navigate them. Sadly, this is not always the case for a student with a

disability. Section 508 of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act amendments that took effect on June 25,

2001 states the following guidelines for the web:

• Text tags – A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided.

• Multimedia Presentations – Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall

be synchronized with the presentation. This is usually done with captions.

• Color – Web pages shall be designed so that all information conveyed with color is also

available without color.

• Readability – Documents shall be organized so they are readable without requiring an

associated style sheet.

• Flicker Rate – Pages shall be designed to avoid causing the screen to flicker with a

frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

• Time Delays – When a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted and given

sufficient time to indicate more time is required (Robertson, 2002).

Media specialists, teachers, and other school personnel should keep these (as well as the

amendment’s additional guidelines) in mind while designing school WebPages.

Any time a school district delves into an issue and makes attempts to update technology,
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there is always the question of cost. Many technological updates are quite pricey and media

center budgets simply do not allow for them to happen quickly. This isn’t the case with many of

the assistive devices required to make computer use easier for students with disabilities. “The

biggest area for concern is making Web sites more accessible to the visually impaired. With the

help of devices known as text readers, such people can experience much of what is on the Web”

(Walsh, 2001). “Low-tech devices are electronic but do not include highly sophisticated

computer components, such as an electronic voice-recording device” (Behrmann, 2002).

“For individuals whose motor problems allow them to use a mouse or touch screen better than a

keyboard, onscreen keyboards can allow them to write” (Robertson, 2002). All of the devices

mentioned here are relatively low priced and can be easily adapted to school media center

computers.

Media specialists who design websites for their school media centers “not only have

pragmatic reasons to make their Web sites accessible to people with disabilities, they also have

legal obligations to do so” (Walsh, 2001). Those same media specialists also have a

responsibility to students with disabilities to ensure that they feel that the school media center is

a place where they can enhance their information literacy skills without boundaries and

frustrations. They need to feel empowered in the media center, to know that when they enter the

media center, they can go to a computer and work independently. The media specialist should

also be an advocate for students with special needs, addressing this issue to other school

personnel and making sure that teachers are familiar with the tools and modifications that are in

place to assist these students. “With a little effort and awareness we can make sure that

computers and the Web provide quality information and education for everyone” (Robertson,

2002).
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References

Behrmann, Michael & Jerome, Marci Kinas. (2002, January). ERIC Digest. Assistive

Technology

for Students with Mild Disabilities: Update 2002. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from

http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm

Walsh, M. (2001). Schools on the Web Face a Tangle of Legal Issues. Education Week, 24, 12.

Robertson, Janna Siegel. (2002). Making Online Information Accessible to Students with

Disabilities. The Technology Source, July/August.