Nearly 700 people have signed a petition organized by District 58 parents demanding the district reverse a plan to pull middle school librarians out of libraries for half the school day. They plan to deliver that message in person at a community forum Thursday, Aug. 20.

The forum is set for 6 p.m. at the Downers Grove Civic Center, 850 Curtiss St. The district organized the session after parents packed the Aug. 10 school board meeting to protest the change.

Under the plan, librarians at Herrick and O'Neill middle schools would spend three periods each day teaching a technology elective that does not require a certified librarian, according to Shaw Local. A library assistant, not a certified librarian, would staff the library during those periods.

Superintendent Kevin Russell signaled at the Aug. 10 board meeting that the district does not intend to back down. "Positions are set for the upcoming school year," Russell told the board.

The district isn't reversing course.

Russell also offered parents the option to meet individually or in a group with assistant superintendent of personnel Justin Sisul or assistant superintendent of curriculum Liz Ehrhart.

Petition gains steam

Erin Berger, a District 58 parent who is married to Herrick Middle School librarian Jeff Berger, launched the Change.org petition on Aug. 6 under the name "Friends of District 58." It had collected nearly 700 signatures by Wednesday, Aug. 19.

"The job of the school board is to represent what the public, the community, wants. Seven hundred people took the time to sign a petition, then I think they should listen to them," Berger told Shaw Local.

Berger said the timing is especially poor because both Herrick and O'Neill will welcome sixth graders for the first time this fall as District 58 transitions to a sixth-through-eighth-grade model. That structural shift, funded by a three-year referendum initiative that included new learning spaces at both schools, expands the student population at a moment when parents say library support should grow, not shrink.

Teacher speaks out

Elizabeth Lukes, a Herrick Middle School art teacher and Downers Grove resident, spoke at the Aug. 10 board meeting on behalf of students and her colleague Jeff Berger.

"When we are adding staff to every department, why are we taking away from the library?" Lukes asked the board.

Lukes argued that librarians serve as trusted adults who build relationships with students in an open setting, particularly during the middle school years. She said the newly renovated Herrick library deserves full-time certified staffing.

The petition contends that certified librarians support all curriculums, collaborate with teachers, assist with research and help students navigate the internet safely. A library assistant cannot fill those roles, organizers say.

The forum begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Civic Center. Teacher institute days are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 24, and Tuesday, Aug. 25, placing the first day of student attendance after Aug. 25.