Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008

Kennewick library giving students the boot

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

KENNEWICK -- Kennewick High School students have been banned from using the library across the street from their school while classes are in session.

Students who often walked across the street to the library during lunch arrived at school last week and learned they were no longer welcome there -- at least not between 7:30 a.m. and 2:10 p.m.

"I think it's stupid that they call it the public library and it's not open to the public," said Lynden Rothfork, a 15-year-old sophomore.

Mid-Columbia Library System officials say they aren't trying to keep kids out of the library. They want to make sure kids aren't skipping school. And anyone who looks like they could be in high school can expect to be carded before being given the OK to go inside.

"The library's being supportive of the education process by making sure students are going to class and not being in the library during school. ... During the school day students need to be in school," said Kyle Cox, the administrative services director for the Mid-Columbia Library.

The library's board of trustees approved the new "School Support Initiative" a week before the new school year started.

Cox said the policy was developed jointly with the Kennewick School District to deal with truancy issues after a patron complained about truant students in the library.

"The Kennewick School District takes truancy seriously and applauds the effort and support the efforts of the library in keeping the kids in school where they're supposed to be," said district spokeswoman Lorraine Cooper.

Cooper said she's confident that anything a student needs for homework they'll be able to get at the school's library.

Students can go across the street to the public library if they have a note or pass from their teacher, Cox said.

"Our staff just needs to know that their school has authorized them being here," he said. "We're not totally restricting access to students, we're just saying they have to have permission from school, which seems very reasonable."

Enforcement, however, might pose a problem.

School staff announced last week over the public address system that students couldn't go to the library during school.

Kennewick police stationed three officers in front of the library Thursday to direct students away from the building during lunch. Police officials said they received several calls last year about kids being disruptive in the library during school hours.

Library staff members are left to use their judgment to decide whether someone looks young enough to be in school. Those who appear younger than 18 have to show their ID.

"There will be some training for staff to make sure ... they're fairly and consistently applying the policy," Cox said. "We are not going to turn anyone away."

But, a young couple with a toddler were turned away last week after a library staffer suspected the woman was younger than 18.

The staffer asked the petite woman if she was in school and then for her ID. The woman said she was 24, but couldn't prove it so she was told she has to leave. The woman explained that she was with her husband and son, but the library staffer wouldn't budge on the rules.

The woman said the library staffer was discriminating against her simply because she looks young, and the staffer replied that if she didn't leave, they would call the police.

"I would hope that it wouldn't happen," Cox said after hearing about the incident. "That raises questions, and I will be following up with staff on that."

Though the new policy is meant to enforce state law that requires students to be in school, it raises some questions about whether the library, which is funded by taxpayer dollars, can -- or should -- be restricting patrons.

"The intention of trying to reduce truancies is certainly a good one, but this isn't a useful policy," said Doug Honig, communications director with the American Civil Liberties Union in Seattle. "Schools need to address the reasons why kids are skipping school.

"And somebody who looks young but doesn't have ID ... shouldn't be barred from the library. As a public policy matter, I don't think it's useful."

Honig also said that if students are allowed to leave campus during lunch, "you would think they'd certainly encourage them to come to the library."

Student opinion on the new rule is mixed.

Some say it's not a big deal that they can't go into the public library because they can just use the one at the high school. But others said the school's library doesn't always have what they need and it's easier to do homework or read in the public library during lunch.

"I used it every day. The library in school doesn't always have the right resources," said Taylor Crawford, 17, a junior.

Cox said he wasn't sure why students couldn't use the library during lunch, but that was the rule based on the joint agreement between the library board and the school district. "Ease of administration" of enforcing the policy likely prompted the lunchtime restriction, he said.

"Now I have to fill 40 minutes of boredom," said Michael McCreary, 15, a sophomore.

The same student restriction is in place at the Prosser branch library, which is across the street from Prosser High School, Cox said.

"We're very supportive of learning -- that's the heart of the library," he said. " ... We're being supportive of the educational process. We're being supportive of the Kennewick School District. We are helping to ensure the students are in class and that they're academically succeeding.

"Our core mission is for lifelong learning and growth," Cox added. "What better way (to fulfill that) than to help make sure students are in school."