Dear TCA family,  

Thank you again for joining us in communicating to TCA that it is important to parents that the TCA library reflects the school’s Core Values. As promised, here is a brief update after the Monday, February 10 board meeting.

In response to some public comments made at the meeting, here is a summary of parents’ efforts over the past few months that provides more background on why parents developed this petition. Parents began this effort in December by bringing concerns about some books to TCA librarians. After meeting with librarians and before Christmas break, parents PAUSED their efforts and sought dialogue with TCA leadership about the best approach going forward. Unbeknownst to parents, administrators began staff reviews of select library books. At January’s board meeting, parents were told they would not be a part of the review process. At that point, parents began their petition asking TCA to ensure that it was following its library policies. Parents also requested a copy of the list of parent permission books through a records request. 

With this in mind, here are some points from the February board meeting:

• Dr. Thomason gave an update on the flood damage in the library. He confirmed that all library materials were destroyed due to water damage.

• TCA is dropping all book reconsideration requests. Wes Jolly shared that 2 (staff led) reconsideration requests had recently been completed. Going forward, no action would be taken on any reconsideration requests until the secondary library reopens next August, at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.  

• TCA administration will revisit its library policies to make them easier to understand and operate.

• TCA administration will be creating a parent permission section. This will benefit staff by making it more manageable to maintain separate material for Junior High and High School. It will also benefit students who desire, with their parents’ permission, to check out more mature material.

Moving forward, the administration has a heavy plate restoring the library and completing the school year across three campuses. Administration is committed to partnering with the community as they rebuild damaged areas of the school and library.  

Thank you for joining us in this effort! We wish everyone the best moving forward!

Advocates4TCA