The policy of this school district related to selection of learning materials states that any member of the school district community may formally challenge instructional
materials used in the district's education program.  This policy allows those persons in the school and the community who are not directly involved in the selection of
materials to make their own opinions known.  The task of the reconsideration committee is to provide an open forum for discussion of challenged materials and to make
an informed recommendation on the challenge.  The meetings of the committee may be subject to the open meetings law.

The most critical component of the reconsideration process is the establishment and maintenance of the committee's credibility in the community.  For this purpose, the
committee is composed of community members.  The community should not, therefore, infer that the committee is biased or is obligated to uphold prior professional
decisions.  For this same reason, a community member will be selected to chair the committee.

The reconsideration process, the task of this committee, is just one part of the selection continuum.  Material is purchased to meet a need.  It is reviewed and examined, if
possible, prior to purchase.  It is periodically re-evaluated through updating, discarding, or re-examination.  The committee must be ready to acknowledge that an error in
selection may have been made despite this process.  Librarians and school employees regularly read great numbers of reviews in the selection process, and occasional
errors are possible.

In reconsidering challenged materials, the role of the committee, and particularly the chairperson, is to produce a climate for disagreement.  However, the committee
should begin by finding items of agreement, keeping in mind that the larger the group participating, the greater the amount of information available and, therefore, the
greater the number of possible approaches to the problem.

If the complainant chooses, the complainant may make an oral presentation to the committee to expand and elaborate on the complaint.  The committee will listen to the
complainant, to those with special knowledge, and any other interested persons.  In these discussions, the committee should be aware of relevant social pressures which are
affecting the situation.  Individuals who may try to dominate or impose a decision must not be allowed to do so.  Minority viewpoints expressed by groups or individuals
must be heard, and observers must be made to feel welcome.  It is important that the committee create a calm, nonvolatile environment in which to deal with a potentially
volatile situation.  To this end, the complainant will be kept informed of the progress of the complaint.

The committee will listen to the views of all interested persons before making recommendations.  In deliberating its recommendation, the committee should remember that
the school system must be responsive to the needs, tastes, and opinions of the community it serves.  Therefore, the committee must distinguish between broad community
sentiment and attempts to impose personal standards.  The deliberations should concentrate on the appropriateness of the material.  The question to be answered by the
committee is, "Is the material appropriate for its designated audience at this time?"

The committee's final recommendation will be (1) to remove the challenged material from the total school environment, (2) to take no removal action, or (3) to agree on a
limitation of the educational use of the materials.

The committee chairperson will instruct the secretary to convey the committee's recommendation to the office of the superintendent.  The recommendation should detail the
rationale on which it was based.  A letter will be sent to the complainant outlining the outcome.

 

Request for re-evaluation of printed or audiovisual material to be submitted to the superintendent.

REVIEW INITIATED BY:

DATE:

Name                                       ______________________________________

Address                                    ______________________________________

City/StateZip Code                    ______________________________________

Telephone                                 ______________________________________

School(s) in which item is used______________________________________

Relationship to school (parent, student, citizen, etc.) ______________________________________

 

BOOK OR OTHER PRINTED MATERIAL IF APPLICABLE:

Author                                      ______________________________________

Hardcover Paperback                ______________________________________

Other                                        ______________________________________

Title                                         ______________________________________

Publisher (if known)                  ______________________________________

Date of Publication                    ______________________________________

 AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL IF APPLICABLE:

TitleProducer (if known)            ______________________________________

Type of material (filmstrip, motion picture, etc.) ____________________________________

PERSON MAKING THE REQUEST REPRESENTS:    (circle one)  Self,  Group or Organization

Name of group              ______________________________________

Address of Group                      ______________________________________

 

1.What brought this item to your attention?

 

 

2.To what in the item do you object?  (please be specific; cite pages, or frames, etc.)

 

 

3.In your opinion, what harmful effects upon students might result from use of this item?

 

 

4.Do you perceive any instructional value in the use of this item?

 

 

5.Did you review the entire item?  If not, what sections did you review?

 

 

6.Should the opinion of any additional experts in the field be considered?    Yes   no

            If yes, please list specific suggestions:

 

 

7.To replace this item, do you recommend other material which you consider to be of equal or superior quality for the purpose intended?

 

 

8.Do you wish to make an oral presentation to the Review Committee?    Yes    No

            If Yes   (a)        Please call the office of the Superintendent

                        (b)        Please be prepared at this time to indicate the approximate length of time your presentation will require.______ Minutes  
                                     Although this is no guarantee that you’ll be allowed to present to the committee, or that you will get your requested amount of time.    '

 

Dated   ___________                Signature  ______________________________________

 

 

Approved __________                      
Reviewed________               
Revised _______

 

Dear:

 

We recognize your concern about the use of                                                      in our school district.  The school district has developed procedures for selection of
instructional materials but realizes that not everyone will agree with every selection made.

To help you understand the selection process, we are sending copies of the school district's:

      1.   Instructional goals and objectives,

      2.   Instructional Materials Selection policy statement, and

      3.   Procedure for reconsideration of instructional materials.

 

If you are still concerned after you review this material, please complete the Reconsideration Request Form and return it to me.  You may be assured of prompt
attention to your request.  If I have not heard from you within one week, we will assume you no longer wish to file a formal complaint.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

A.     Any resident of the school district may raise objection to instructional materials used in the district’s educational program despite the fact that
         individuals selecting such materials were duly qualified to make the selection and followed the proper procedure and observed the criteria for
         selecting such material.

         1.  The school official or staff member receiving a complaint regarding instructional materials will try to resolve the issue informally.  The materials
               will remain in use unless removed through the procedure in section B6e of this rule.

                a.   The school official or staff member initially receiving a complaint will explain to the complainant the school’s selection procedure, criteria,
                      and qualifications of those persons selecting the materials.

                b.  The school official or staff member initially receiving a complaint will explain to the best of his or her ability the particular place the material
                      occupies in the educational program, its intended educational usefulness, and additional information regarding its use, or refer the
                      complaining party to the appropriate building principal.

         2.  In the event that the person making an objection to material is not satisfied with the initial explanation, the person raising the objection should be
              referred to librarian/media specialist or teacher.  If, after private counseling the complainant desires to file a formal complaint, the librarian/media
              specialist will assist in filling out a Reconsideration Request Form.

         3.  The individual receiving the initial complaint will advise the principal of the attendance center where the challenged material is being used, of the
               initial contact within one week of the complaint whether or not the complaint has been settled to the satisfaction of the complainant at the initial
               contact.  A written record of the contact will be maintained by the principal, and a notation will be kept in the media center records

          4.  The principal will review the selection and objection rules with the staff at least annually.  They will be reminded to handle such rightful 
               objections with courtesy and integrity.

B.     Request for Reconsideration

          1.  Any resident or employee of the school district may formally challenge instructional materials used in the district’s educational program on the
               basis of appropriateness.  This procedure is for the purpose of considering the opinions of those persons in the schools and the community who
               are not directly involved in the selection process.

          2.  Each attendance center and the school district’s central office will keep on hand and make available Reconsideration Request Forms.  All
               objections to instructional materials must be made on this form.

          3.  The Reconsideration Request Form will be signed by the complainant and filed with the building principal.

          4.  Within five business days of the filing of the form, the librarian/media specialist will file the material in question with the Reconsideration
               Committee for reevaluation.  The committee will recommend disposition to the librarian/ media specialist.  The librarian/media specialist will
               inform the building principal of the decision.  He or she will inform the superintendent who will report to the Board of Education concerning the
               decision of the committee.

          5.  Generally, access to challenged material will not be restricted during the reconsideration process.  However, in unusual circumstances, the
               material may be removed temporarily by following the provisions of Section B6e of this rule.

          6.   The Reconsideration Committee

                a.  The Reconsideration Committee will be made up of 9 members.

                      1.  One school librarian/media specialist

                      2.  Two teachers from the appropriate building and grade level

                      3.  One counselor from the appropriate building

                       4.  Two community members at least one of whom is a parent

                       5.  Two students

                       6.  One building principal

                b.  The co-chairpersons of the committee will be the members from the counseling department and the school media center.

                c.  Each member of the committee will be furnished the selection and reconsideration policies and regulations.

                d.  No regularly scheduled meetings of the committee will be held in the absence of challenges.  Upon receipt of a formal Reconsideration
                     Request Form, the committee will be notified and assembled within five working days.

                e.  Special meetings may be called by the Superintendent to consider temporary removal of materials in unusual circumstances.  Temporary
                      removal will require a three-fourths vote of the committee.

                 f.  Notice of meetings will be made public through appropriate publications or other communications methods.

                g.  The committee will receive all Reconsideration Request Forms from the librarian/media specialist who will also report the findings of the
                     committee to the building principal.

                h.  The procedure for the first meeting following receipt of a Reconsideration Request Form is as follows:

                      1.  Distribute copies of the written request form.

                      2.  Allow the complainant or a group spokesperson an opportunity to talk about and expand upon the request form.

                      3.  Distribute reputable, professionally prepared reviews of the material when available.

                      4.  Distribute copies of the challenged material as available.

                i.  As a subsequent meeting, interested persons, including the complainant, may have the opportunity to share their views.  The committee may
                    request that individuals with special knowledge be present to give information to the committee.

                j.  The complainant will be kept informed by the acting secretary of the committee concerning the status of his/her complaint throughout the
                    reconsideration process.  The complainant and known interested parties along with the general public will be given appropriate notice of
                    committee meetings.

                k.  At the second or a subsequent meeting, as desired, the committee will make its decision in either open or closed session.  The committee’s
                    final decision must be one of the following:  (1)  to take no removal action,  (2)  to remove all or part of the challenged material from the
                    total school environment, or (3) to limit the educational use of the challenged material.  The sole criteria for the final decision shall be the
                    appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use.  The vote on the decision will be by secret ballot.  The written decision and
                    its justification will be forwarded to the Superintendent through the building principal for appropriate action and to the complainant and the
                    appropriate attendance center(s).

                l.  A decision to sustain a challenge will not be interpreted as a judgment of irresponsibility on the part of the professionals involved in the
                    original selection of the materials.

             m.  Requests to reconsider materials which have previously been before the committee must receive approval of a majority of the committee
                   members before the materials will again be reconsidered.  Every Reconsideration Request Form will be acted upon by the committee.

 

Note:  The Board of Education will reserve the right to make the final decision on any request to reconsider materials.