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 agreement.  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.

 

 

Approved: Feb 16, 2015, January 25, 2021
Reviewed: Dec 22, 2014, Nov. 16, 2020
Revised:

 

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

REVIEW INITIATED BY:

DATE:

Name

Address

City/State

Zip 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

MULTIMEDIA MATERIAL IF APPLICABLE:

Title

Producer (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	(a) Please contact the Superintendent
			Please be prepared at this time to indicate the approximate length of time your presentation will require.  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.
							Minutes.
		No
	Dated					Signature

 

Approved: Feb 16, 2015, January 25, 2021
Revised: Dec 22, 2014, Nov. 16, 2020
Reviewed: Dec 22, 2014

 

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.         Instruction 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,

 

 

Approved: Feb 16, 2015, January 25, 2021
Revised: _____________
Reviewed: Dec 22, 2014, Nov. 16, 2020

 

I.       Review or Reevaluation

1. Any resident or employee of the school district may ask that a specific title or titles in the instructional materials used in the district’s educational program be reviewed or reexamined.  (The term “review” used in this section will refer to reexamination or reevaluation of material based on a “request for review.”  It should not be confused with the normal reviewing process as a part of selection.)  This will not be considered to reflect adversely on the qualifications of the person or persons who made the selection.

                     1.         The school official or staff member receiving a request for review or reexamination regarding instructional materials will try to resolve
                                 the issue informally.  The materials will remain in use unless removed through the formal procedure herein provided.

                     2.         The school official or staff member initially receiving a request for review will explain to the requester the school district’s selection
                                 procedure, criteria, and qualifications of those persons selecting the material.  These people will also explain the place this material
                                 occupies in the educational program, its intended educational usefulness, and additional information regarding its usefulness.

                      3.          In the event that the person asking for the review is not satisfied with the initial explanation, the person raising the question should be referred to the library media specialist and/or principal.  If, after this discussion, the person wishes to file a formal request for review, the school official should assist in filling out a “Request for Review” form.

4.          The school official or staff member receiving the “Request for Review” form should notify the principal of the appropriate attendance center about the inquiry in writing by the end of the following school day.  The written notification should indicate name, material and resolution if any.  The principal or other designated person will file a report for the Review Committee’s records.

          b.         Request for Review

                     1.           Each attendance center and the school district’s central office will keep on hand and make available “Request for Review” forms.  All
                                   formal requests for review must be made on this form.                                                  

                     2.           Within five days after receiving the form, the superintendent of designee will file the request with the standing Review
                                   Committee.           

c.          Review committee

                      1.         The Review Committee will be made up of thirteen members.

                                  a.         Three teachers – one middle school, one senior high and one elementary, designated annually by the superintendent.

                                  b.        School media specialists will be named to the committee.  The media specialist responsible for the attendance center where the item being reexamined originated will not serve on the committee for that review.

                                  c.         One member of the central administrative staff designated annually by the superintendent.

                                  d.        Four members from the community appointed annually by Fairfield Community School Board action.

                                  e.         One high school student and one middle school student selected annually.  The middle school student will be selected by the principal.  Recommendations for the senior high student will come from the principal with selection by the student council.

                                  f.         One school board member appointed annually by school board action.

                      2.         The chairperson and secretary will be selected by the members of the committee.  The chairperson will not be an employee or officer of the district.  The secretary will be an employee or officer of the district.

                      3.         The committee will receive the Materials Selection Policy and all “Request for Review” forms from the superintendent or person designated by the superintendent.

          d.         Review Process

                      1.         The first meeting will consist of the Review Committee.  The procedure following receipt of the “Request for Review” is as follows:

                                  a.         Distribute copies of the written “Request for Review” form.

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

                                  c.         Distribute copies of the material if available.

                      2.          Before the next meeting committee members will read and examine completely the materials being reviewed.  Opinions will be based on the material as a whole and not on passages pulled out of context.  The secretary will inform the press of the date of the next meeting.            

                      3.          At a subsequent meeting, interested persons, including the person requesting the review, may have the opportunity to share their views.  The committee may request individuals with special knowledge to present information to the committee.

4.           The person requesting the review will be kept informed by the secretary concerning the status of the review through the committee process.  All known interested parties will be given appropriate notice of committee meetings.

5.          At the second or subsequent meeting, as desired, the committee will make its recommendation in open session.  The committee’s final recommendation will be by majority vote
 a.         to take no action;
 b.         to remove all or part of the material from the total school environment;
 c.         to allow student to use alternate titles, approved by school personnel involved; or
 d.         to limit the educational use of the material.

The sole criteria for the final recommendation is the appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use.

                      6.        The written recommendation and its justification will be forwarded to the superintendent for appropriate action and to the person initiating the request and to the appropriate attendance centers.

                     7.        A recommendation of the committee to remove or limit use of the material will not be interpreted as a judgment of irresponsibility on the part of the professionals involved in the original selection or use of the material.

                      8.       Committee members directly associated with the selection, use, or request for review of materials will be excused from the committee during the deliberation on such materials.  The superintendent may appoint a temporary replacement for the excused committee member, but such replacement will be of the same general qualifications of a member excused.

                     9.        Requests for Review which have previously been before the committee must receive approval of a majority of the committee
                                 members before the materials will again be reviewed.  Requests with less than a two-year lapse will not be considered.  Every Request
                                 for Review form will be acted upon by the committee.

                      10.      If not satisfied with the recommendation of the committee, any person may appeal the decision to the Board of Education, in which
                                 case the matter will be placed on the agenda of the next regular scheduled meeting of the board.

                       11.      Any person dissatisfied with the decision of the board may appeal to the State Board of Education pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter
                                  290.

 

 

Revised: Dec 7, 2016, January 25, 2021
Reviewed: Dec 7, 2016, Nov. 16, 2020
Approved: Feb 20, 2017