October 10, 2024
Dear Parents/Guardians:
I am writing to express my sincerest apologies for the high school book distribution that went out this week to our Migrant Education students.
I acknowledge a huge mistake was made on my part in assuming that Scholastic would provide school-appropriate material to our students. This time around, I collaborated with a Scholastic Education Specialist who helped select the following material for our high school students: My Books Summer. After reviewing information on the website, I was convinced that ‘My Books Summer’ would be an excellent source for this year’s first book distribution. ‘My Book Summer’ was defined as literature that encourages the joy of independent reading with books that reflect the diversity, interests, and reading levels of each student and are paired with text-based activities that keep students on track for success. It was further defined as a flexible learning solution backed by evidence from rigorous research, according to the website.
However, the material was found to be inappropriate and I apologize for not taking a closer look at the material. Certain measures will be taken to avoid this from happening again.
I, as a parent, can understand the frustration and I want to express my heartfelt apology for this mistake. Our district, parents and community strive to protect our children from negative stimuli of the outside world. Our district is grounded in honesty, respect, transparency, and integrity. In every decision, plan or step forward, we ensure that these values are reflected.
To correct this mistake, we are kindly asking for the return of all of the migrant ed book bags that were distributed to high school students that include the following material:
Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldasky
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
Game Over by M.C. Ross
If you should have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me at 907.822.8556 or ahicks@crsd.us.
Sincerely,
Ashley M. Hicks
Migrant Education Coordinator
