Forsyth County Schools is asking families to return books to school media centers as the district is still missing about 10,000 books checked out in 2019-20.

FCS spokeswoman Jennifer Caracciolo said the unusual number of missing books may be a result of families having much bigger worries on their minds over the past year as the pandemic impacted the county.

She said the district is now simply asking for families, as they are spring cleaning or preparing for summer break, to return any media center books they might come across.

The district suggested families look for books throughout their homes — under beds, between couch cushions, in closets, on bookshelves and anywhere else they may find one of these lost books.

“We would love to get them back for others to enjoy,” Caracciolo said.

If families find any books that they checked out during the 2019-20 school year, they can return them to any Forsyth County school without any fines or penalties.

All elementary and middle schools that have books returned during the Super Book Return Challenge will also be entered into a drawing to win a visit from the Forsyth County Public Library’s Book Mobile.

Students who are not sure if they have books that have not been returned can talk to their school’s media specialist to find out, and middle and high school students can check online through Classlink.

To check, start by logging into Classlink and clicking on the Media Center Catalog app. Then, click on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner and click on Destiny Back Office. Find the My Info tab at the top of the page where it will show any books and textbooks the student has checked out.