Kuna receives 2023 Outstanding Board of Education Award

“The MASL Oustanding Board of Education Award is given to honor a district school board or board member who has made decisions that indicate consistent and unique school library support. Kuna was nominated by MASL President-Elect, Christine Beachler, for the award. The Lowell Area Schools, and Beachler, in her role as Library Media Director, have faced a multitude of book challenges in the past three years..“

Photo courtesy of Melissa Kempski.

The Michigan Association of School Librarians, (MASL), has announced that the 2023 Outstanding Board of Education Award was presented to Laurie Kuna on Thursday, November 2, 2023. Kuna, a Board of Education Member for Lowell Area Schools, was formally recognized at the
President’s Award Gala during the annual MASL state conference, which was held at the Kensington Hotel in Ann Arbor.

The MASL Oustanding Board of Education Award is given to honor a district school board or board member who has made decisions that
indicate consistent and unique school library support. Kuna was nominated by MASL President-Elect, Christine Beachler, for the award. The Lowell Area Schools, and Beachler, in her role as Library Media Director, have faced a multitude of book challenges in the past three years.

Along with these challenges have come heated personal attacks from community members. Beachler cites Kuna’s advocacy for 1st Amendment rights and work to dismantle censorship, as a critical component of the district’s success in keeping books in the libraries, and as a great personal support throughout the difficult process. Kuna has also participated in multiple community events about censorship,
often the only school board member present, including panel presentations and discussions at both book stores and community book
club meetings.

As Beachler said beautifully in her nomination letter, “[Laurie] has been an unsung hero in defending students’ 1st Amendment rights and the biggest support for me, the library policies, and the literature that all students deserve to have access to in our school libraries.”

MASL is a professional organization that has a membership of approximately 400 School Librarians and educators representing hundreds of Michigan school districts, universities and educational programs across Michigan.