If a complaint is brought to the attention of school administration concerning instructional materials, the following procedures shall be adhered to:
1. The teacher, principal, and complainant may have an informal discussion of the questioned materials to try to resolve the problems.
a. The complainant shall be informed of the selection procedures and shall be requested to read, view, or listen to the material in its entirety and shall be required to submit a formal “Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials” (Policy #871-Exhibit).
2. The district administrator, building principal, teacher who is using the material in question, the librarian, and other appropriate personnel shall be informed that a complaint has been made and the reconsideration process has begun.
3. Challenged materials shall be available for use during the reconsideration process at the discretion of the building principal.
4. Upon receipt of the completed Policy #871-Exhibit, the principal shall request a review of the challenged material by the “Materials Review Committee” within 15 working days and shall notify the library media department chairperson and the district administrator that such a review is being done. The Materials Review committee, appointed by the principal and district administrator will include one library media specialist, one teacher, one parent, one student, and the building principal.
5. The Committee shall take the following steps after receiving the challenged materials:
a. Read, view, or listen to the material in its entirety;
b. Check general acceptance of the material by reading reviews and consulting recommended lists;
c. Determine the extent to which the material supports the curriculum or meets students’ co-curricular interests and needs; and
d. Also complete a “Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials” judging the material for its strength and value as a whole and not in part.
6. The Committee shall present written recommendations to the district administrator who will make a decision regarding the recommendation within 5 school days from the receipt date.
7. When the press of Committee business does not allow the Committee to meet the deadlines outlined above, the Committee shall decide and forward its decision as soon as practicable.
8. After review of the Committee recommendation, the challenged material shall be retained or withdrawn as mandated by the decision of the district administrator. The decision may be appealed by filing a written, signed, and dated letter within 5 school days to the Board of Education President or Clerk who has the final authority for the district.
The Board, administrators, teachers, and librarians recognize the right of an individual parent or guardian to request that his/her child not be required to read a given book or view a given item. The teacher shall assign an appropriate substitute to replace the activity. The right of the parent or guardian shall apply only to his/her minor child.
APPROVED: January 22, 2004
12/21/2004 pw