The Save School Libraries Coalition (SSLC) is a coalition of educators, library workers, literacy specialists, writers, children’s book publishers and distributors, and advocates. They are committed to working with Ontario’s education sector to ensure that Ontario students continue to have access to school libraries and trained library staff as a foundational part of their education. Canadian School Libraries, the Ontario Library Association and the Ontario School Library Association are all members of the coalition.
The coalition has sent a letter to the the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) and the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC) to ask for their help in protecting and restoring support for Ontario’s school libraries as Directors and Principals embark on critical planning for the 2021-22 school year. The letter has been made public, and is available for viewing here:
Save School Libraries Coalition Letter to CODE and OPC, April 6, 2021
http://bit.ly/ssl_ontario
The letter was copied to organizations representing elected school board officials. Organizations that are part of the coalition are sharing the letter with their members and through social media, using the hashtag #SaveSchoolLibraries. The coalition has also notified media organizations. We invite you to share the letter through your channels, particularly if you are in Ontario.
The Save School Libraries Coalition was formed early in the 2020-21 school year, in response to decisions being made in many Ontario school districts to close school libraries and reassign staff. The coalition wrote a letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce in October 2020, but received no response. The coalition is also aware of detrimental decisions now being made in jurisdictions outside Ontario about school library funding and staffing for next year.
Learn more about the Save School Libraries Coalition by visiting:
linktr.ee/saveschoollibraries
Share the coalition’s letter to CODE and OPC using this shortlink:
http://bit.ly/ssl_ontario
Use the hashtag #SaveSchoolLibraries when sharing on social media
