Welcome to Walton County School District's Library Media Services. Our mission is to maintain school-based media programs that are dynamic, creative, and fully committed to developing our diverse community of learners. Our library media specialists provide crucial support as they connect our students, teachers, and other staff members with informational resources needed to integrate information, communication, and technology across the K-12 curriculum. It is our desire to provide ongoing leadership, advocacy, and support to continue building quality library media programs that:

• Cultivate a collaborative culture of inquiry and literacy analysis/appreciation,

• Encourage independent, ethical exploration, creative production, and communication of information and ideas,

• Ensure collections are current, accurate and reflective of the communities they serve, and

• Create an environment that is inviting, safe, flexible. and conducive to learning.

Board Policy and Procedures

Educational Media Materials Selection Policy 4.22 

Guidelines for challenged materials

Our schools follow School Board policy and State Board of Education rules regarding the selection and appropriateness for materials in media collections. Each center strives to maintain a wide range of materials in a variety of formats, with multiple levels of difficulty, and that represent multiple points of view. These materials are selected by professionally trained personnel who hold Florida's Educational Media Specialist certification. We realize everyone may not agree with each selection decision since collections are developed to appeal to a wide range of ages, interests, and tastes. Therefore, in the event a Walton County concerned citizen or parent of a student enrolled in a Walton County school desires to challenge the use of a library media resource, the following process will be followed:

• Parent or Walton County citizen completes the Specific Material Objection Form found in the link below.

• The form should be completed in its entirety and submitted to the school principal where the material is housed.

• The principal will forward the form to the Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.

• The Superintendent shall appoint a District Review Committee to judge the material for its strength and value as a whole and not in part.

• Within fifteen (15) working days, a written recommendation will be provided to the Superintendent and Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.

• The Superintendent or his designee will inform the complainant by certified mail.

• If the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision, an appeal may be filed with the Superintendent for review by the School Board.

• If the parent disagrees with the School Board determination, he/she may request the Commissioner of Education to appoint a special magistrate.

Specific Material Objection Form

The District must keep a record of all objections to the library media materials and/or classroom library materials. The record will include all objections, the results of the challenge process and the grade level or course for any materials that may be removed or discontinued.  At the present time we have not received an objection to library media materials. Upon receipt of an objection, the link below will be live for anyone to see what has been challenged.

Reconsideration Requests

Resources

• Ask A Librarian

• Florida Electronic Library

• Purdue Owl - MLA Guide

Florida Department of Education Library Media Training

In 2022, section 1006.29, Florida Statutes, was amended by House Bill 1467 to require the Florida Department of Education to develop an online training program for librarians, media specialists, and other personnel involved in the selection and maintenance of library collections. This training is now live and can be accessed through the Florida Department of Education Instructional Materials webpage at https://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/instructional-materials/ under “General Information.”

Destiny Library Catalog

Walton County Schools utilize the Follett Destiny Library Management System to catalog all materials maintained in each school's library media center. The Destiny Library Catalog can be accessed by visiting each school's individual website and selecting Media Center. To search the entire district media collection, please access using the following link: https://waltonk12.follettdestiny.com/

Classroom Library Collections

View an online catalog of the library media available in the classroom libraries of each school. Select a school below to review books available in classroom libraries at that school.

• Dune Lakes Elementary School

• Emerald Coast Middle School

• Freeport Elementary School

• Freeport High School

• Freeport Middle School

• Magnet Innovation Center

• Maude Saunders Elementary School

• Mossy Head School

• Paxton School

• South Walton High School

• The WISE Center

• Van R Butler Elementary School

• Walton High School

• Walton Middle School

• West DeFuniak Elementary School

Parental Choice Library Book Restriction Form

Parents may utilize the Parental Choice Library Book Restriction Form to restrict titles their child may check out in the school library. Please complete the form and return it to your child's teacher or library media specialist. This form is only required when a parent is seeking to restrict access to materials in the media center.