Overdue books carry a heavy fine

November 19, 2014 Anna Nguyen

Overdue books have plagued CVHS for many years and the school plans to crack down on those who owe books and fines. At the end of the 2012-2013 school year, there was $16,000 worth of books missing and at the end of the 2013-2014 school year there was over 26,000. Book fines have already exceeded $13,000 in 2014-15.

CVHS staff and librarian Kathy Clarke are looking to develop new ways to ensure that books are returned and fines are paid.

Monthly notices have been sent out to students to inform them that they have overdue books, but they are not proving to be as effective as the staff hoped.

Students could be facing consequences, such as not being able to purchase tickets to school events such as Winter Ball, Junior Prom, and Senior Ball, and not even being able to pick up their yearbook or caps and gowns for graduation.

Once students returns their books, they will be issued a clearance slip that they can take with them to buy their dance tickets, or pick up their yearbook.

This past year, schedules were held at registration for students who had fines for overdue books.

To avoid extremely last minute returns, changes in due dates for books such as novels issued to English classes may be put into effect. This change would make those novels due six weeks after the check out date, so that books would become overdue as the year goes on, instead of it being recognized at the end of the school year.

To clear fines, students have many options. If students believe that they turned in their books, they could talk to the textbook coordinator, or their AP to try to locate the book. Students can locate lost books and turn them in to clear the fine, pay the school to replace them, buy the book online for a much cheaper price and turn them in as a replacement, or even volunteer in the book room to work off what they owe.

CVHS staff would like to implement these changes as soon as possible and significantly decrease the number of overdue books and fines, and hopefully prevent it from happening again.