FINES/OVERDUE POLICY

Henry County Schools-Media Centers

Per Henry County Schools Student and Parent Handbook (p. 20):

     If students lose or damage textbooks and/or media materials, parents will be charged the full replacement cost and students may be subject to disciplinary action.  Replacement textbooks and media materials may not be issued until restitution is made. Georgia law [160-5-1-12] provides that grade reports, diplomas, or certificates of progress may be withheld for failure to pay for lost or damaged textbooks, or other instructional materials for which the student is responsible.  

Georgia law [160-5-1-12] also states that students may be charged for replacement/repair costs due to loss or abuse of school system property.  The media centers of Henry County Schools will use the following policy regarding fines and overdue materials:

ALL MEDIA CENTERS SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH FOLLOWING THIS POLICY.

                                         High                                   Middle                                    Elementary

PHILOSOPHY

The Henry County Board of Education, believing that each American citizen is entitled to a quality, optimum education, has provided a broad spectrum of learning opportunities that will enable each student to become intellectually and socially competent.

Therefore, a system of explicit instructions shall be made in the selection of instructional materials and equipment.  These materials shall be appropriate in terms of various interests, abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, and the maturity levels of the students in the respective schools within the system.

MEDIA PROGRAM MISSION AND DIRECTIONS

The mission of the media program is to provide students and teachers with resources and services necessary to become effective users of information and ideas.  The media program will, therefore, strive to develop in the following directions:

•                      To promote comprehensive involvement and cooperative planning in the media program development.

•                      To facilitate physical and intellectual access to information.

•                      To structure learning experiences that encourage users to organize, evaluate, and use information effectively.

•                      To support instruction through leadership and assistance in information technologies.

•                      To provide resource materials, equipment, and learning activities to support and extend the instructional program.

•                      To develop environments, personnel, and facilities that function as the information center of the school.

(Adapted from Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs)

Henry County Media Program Goals

Collaborate with teachers to connect media activities with the school curriculum and Georgia Performance Standards.

Develop and maintain a quality collection that provides resources for independent learning and supports the curriculum.

Facilitate the acquisition of information literacy skills and encourage reading.

GEORGIA DOE WEBSITE

http://www.doe.k12.ga.us

For media center SACS standards, consult the State of Georgia Department of Education website.

SCHOOL KEYS

“The School Keys: Unlocking Excellence through the Georgia School Standards are the foundation for Georgia’ comprehensive, data-driven system of school improvement and support. Correlated to several well-known and respected research frameworks, the School Keys describe what Georgia’s schools need to know, understand and be able to do, in the same manner that the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) describe what Georgia’s students need to know, understand, and be able to do….” There are eight strands: curriculum; instruction; assessment; planning and organization; student, family and community support; professional learning; leadership; and school culture.

http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/SCHOOL%20KEYS%20FINAL%205-29-07.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F65C1E3D7297BD72C6D5E3AB4F41CECCBCE8C65FF89997DB59&Type=D

GEORGIA DOE MEDIA SERVICES WEBSITE

http://www.gadoe.org/sia_as_library.aspx

The exemplary media center rubric as well as other media resources can be found at this site.

Call Numbers (standard designation for new schools)

E   (Easy)

FIC  (Fiction)

B  (Biography)

PRO  (Professional/Teacher Collection)

REF  (Reference)

SC  (Story Collection)

KIT  (curriculum support materials or mixed media)

AVM (Audio-Visual Materials - to include videos, filmstrips, filmstrip/cassettes, DVDs)  If you currently use VID or DVD you may choose to do a global update to make the prefix AVM/VID or AVM/DVD for example.

AUD  (Audio materials- to include records, CDs, cassettes)

AVE  (Audio-Visual Equipment)

CF  (Computer file, program, etc.)

SPC  (Special Collection)

COPYRIGHT

The following websites can be used for current copyright information:

http://www.loc.gov/copyright

http://www.beckercopyright.com

http://www.copyrightfoundation.org/library_of_classroom_curricula

The Henry County School System is responsible for establishing goals and procedures that will assure copyright compliance.  Copyright policy and procedures should be disseminated and notices of copyright law should be posted on appropriate equipment.  It should be noted that an individual’s lack of knowledge regarding copyright is not an excuse when the intent of the school system to comply with the law is established.

Specific responsibilities of the media specialist with regard to copyright will depend primarily on local policy.  In most cases, the media specialist is the person designated at building level to disseminate local copyright policy and procedures to school personnel, to provide information regarding copyright law, and to coordinate copyright clearance with commercial companies and/or the system level designee, usually the System Media Contact Person.  Media Specialists have no authority to enforce copyright law; they are copyright informers.  IT is the responsibility of the superintendent at system level and the principal at the level to assure implementation of local policy and procedures which according to state policy and standards must include copyright compliance as defined in the federal law.