A lot of confusion was made last semester when Pampa Independent School District made the move to allow elementary school teachers to bring books from campus libraries into the classrooms.
A lot of the concern was centered around whether students would still be allowed to go to the librairies or check out books of their choosing.
Pampa Independent School District Superintendent Hugh Piatt said the move was not made to limit access, but to provide more access for the students.
“Like all things, it was a way to make things better,” Piatt said. “Kids are able to get to our elementary libraries about once a week. In those times, the kids can pick out a library book and take it. That kid may finish that library book that night, they had to wait another week to get to the library.
“In an attempt to give our kids more access to books and read more, we didn’t close the libraries but what we did was take some books from the library and put them in classrooms. They are more accessible for the students.”
Piatt said somewhere lost in translation, it was interpreted that libraries were closing. Which is not the case.
“That was never the case,” Piatt said. “We still have the same person in the library we always did. Still have access and can check out books if they wanted to. They have more access to the books in their classrooms.”
Students still have access through various programs or their scheduled time.
“Students may be in there for that (STEAM) courses or they are in there for one of their rotations (music, library or PE),” Piatt said. “Kids still go in and out of the library multiple times a week and they have access to books in their classrooms.”
For more information on Pampa ISD, call 806-669-4700.
