IF: Textbooks, Instructional Materials and Media Centers

All foundational textbooks, instructional materials and the selection criteria for media center materials used in the district shall be subject to board approval.

Textbooks and instructional materials shall support the district's board approved curriculum. Media center materials shall support and supplement the curriculum, develop literary discrimination and appreciation, and encourage students to become productive citizens.

Selection Criteria: Textbook and Instructional Materials

Textbooks and instructional materials shall provide:

• An effective education for all students;
• Factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards;
• Practice for students to develop abilities in critical thinking in national, state, and local standards; racial diversity; and balanced views concerning international, national, state, and local issues and problems; and
• Sufficient flexibility for meeting the special needs of individuals and groups.

The superintendent shall develop selection procedures which meet the above criteria, which shall include a review of available material by appropriate staff members.

Selection Criteria: Media Center Materials

Materials shall be chosen for accuracy, artistic quality, format and authoritativeness. Materials shall be chosen on various levels presenting different points of view, including current issues.

Books and other media materials shall be evaluated before purchase, either through direct examination or by using reputable, unbiased, professionally prepared selection tools.

The media center(s) shall obtain, process, and circulate materials and equipment and provide references and other services to students and faculty. Media specialists shall work toward providing resources so that students have an opportunity to achieve high levels of performance.

Selection and Use Criteria: Movies, videos, films, and other media

The showing of movies, videos, films, and other media in the Auburn-Washburn School district shall meet the following requirements:

1. Such media should be owned by the school district. Exceptions are discouraged. When exceptions are considered, prior approval of the principal is required.
2. Copyright guidelines and laws shall be followed.
3. All materials shall be appropriate for the grade level.
4. All materials shall support the educational programs and learning objectives of the district. Exceptions are discouraged. When exceptions are considered, prior approval of the principal is required.
5. All such materials shown at any grade level must be previewed by the instructor.

Grades K-6: Films rated "G" that meet requirements a through e above are acceptable and may be shown at all levels. Films rated "PG" that meet the above criteria may be shown with approval of the building principal prior to showing and with prior parental approval. Non-rated movies, videos, and films that meet the above criteria may be shown with approval of the building principal prior to showing.

Grades 7-8: Films rated "G" or "PG" that meet the requirements a through e above are acceptable and may be shown. Films rated "PG-13" that meet the above criteria may be shown with the prior approval of the building principal prior to showing and with prior parental approval. Non-rated movies, videos, and films that meet requirements a through e above may be shown with approval of the building principal prior to showing.

Grades 9-12: Films rated "G", "PG", or "PG-13" that meet requirements a through e above are acceptable and may be shown. Non-rated films that meet requirements a through e above may be shown with the approval of the building principal prior to showing.

Under no circumstances may "R" rated films, videos, or movies be shown in the Auburn-Washburn School District.

Under no circumstances may "NC-17" or "X" rated films, videos, or movies or portions of such rated media be shown in the Auburn-Washburn School District.

Collection Development

The media collection shall be developed systematically, be well balanced in coverage of subjects, include various types of materials and a variety of content in various formats.

The collection shall reflect, enrich and complement the broad interests represented in the curriculum. The collection should be large enough to allow materials to be placed in classrooms for extended periods of time.

Challenges to Textbooks and/or Instructional Materials

Any student, parent, or legal guardian of a student currently enrolled in the district having a complaint about textbooks, or other instructional material shall meet with the teacher, media specialist or principal. If the concern is addressed to a teacher or media specialist, they shall report the matter to the principal. If the matter cannot be resolved, the principal shall notify the Executive Director of Learning Services and ask the complainant to use a request for review form which is available through building principals or at the district office. After receiving the completed form, the Executive Director of Learning Services shall review and consider the request.

If the complaint is not resolved after consideration by the Executive Director of Learning Services, the complainant may request that the superintendent consider the complaint.

If the issue outlined in the request is not resolved after review by the superintendent, the requestor may seek review by the board.

In determining whether to forward a challenge to a review committee, the board shall consider the following factors:

• The basis of the challenge;
• Whether the material has been previously challenged and reviewed pursuant to this process; and
• Whether it is necessary to submit it for additional review.

If the board chooses not to submit the challenge to the review committee, the superintendent will notify the requestor of the board's decision. If the board chooses to submit the challenge to a review committee, it shall forward all appropriate written materials necessary to the review committee.

Composition of Review Committee

When a review committee is established to handle requests for review concerning textbooks or instructional materials, the review committee shall be composed of:

The building principal, a library medial specialist, a curriculum specialist, two subject area specialists, two community members and one student. If the request for review proposes that the material is inappropriate for minors, the student representative may be left off the committee. The superintendent shall be responsible for appointing review committee members, unless otherwise determined by the board on a case-by-case basis.

Purview of Review Committee

The review committee shall examine and evaluate the material as a whole; consider the district's policy, procedures, and philosophy for selection of textbook, instruction materials, and media center materials; weigh strengths and weaknesses; and form opinions based upon the selection criteria.

Written Report

Within 30 days of receiving access to the challenged materials, the review committee shall review the material and prepare a written report containing conclusions and recommendations for the board of education.

If the board receives simultaneous challenge of multiple material or if circumstances render the 30-day timeline impracticable, the board may extend the committee's deadline to complete its review.

No reviews will be conducted during summer break or when school is not in session for one week or longer. The timeline for any review shall be tolled during such breaks.

Board Review and Action

The board shall review the recommendation of the review committee within 30 days of receipt thereof and may accept the review committee's recommendation, reject the review committee's recommendation, or make its own determination regarding the challenged book or material.

The decision of the board is final.

Removing Challenged Materials

Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.

Impact of Simultaneous or Repeated Requests

If more than one request for review is received simultaneously, or, if one or more requests for review is received while another review is pending, timelines established in this policy may be extended by the superintendent or the board to allow the requests to be processed in turn. When more than one request for review is received for the same book or material, such requests may be consolidated to reduce redundancy in review at any stage of this process.

If a book or material has been reviewed by a review committee, it will not be eligible for an additional review for at least one year from the date the board took action on the previous challenge of the material.

Challenges of Media Center Materials: (See IKD, KN)

Occasional objections to media center materials will be made by the public despite the care taken to select valuable materials for student and teacher use and the qualifications of persons who select the materials. The principles of the freedom to read and of the professional responsibility of the staff must be considered along with the relevance of the materials. The principles of the freedom to read and of the professional responsibility of the staff must be considered along with relevance of the materials.

Any student, parent, or legal guardian of a student currently enrolled in the district having a complaint about media center materials shall meet with the teacher, media specialist or principal. If the concern is addressed to a teacher or media specialist, they shall report the matter to the principal.

The principal shall notify the Executive Director of Learning Services and ask the complainant to use a request for review form which is available through building principals or at the district office. If the review form has not been returned within two weeks, the concern shall be considered closed.

Building-Level Review

After receiving the completed review form, the principal shall appoint a building-level media center materials committee.

If the complaint is not resolved after consideration by the building-level review committee, the complainant may request that the board consider the complaint.

Composition of Building-Level Review Committee

When a review committee is established to handle requests for review concerning media center materials, the building-level review committee shall be composed of the following:

The building principal, a library media specialist, a district curriculum director, two subject area teachers, two community members and one student. If the request for review proposes that the material is inappropriate for minors, the student representative may be left off the committee. The principal shall be responsible for appointing review committee members.

Purview of Building-Level Review Committee

The review committee shall read, examine and evaluate the material as a whole; consider the district's policy, procedures, and philosophy for selection of media center materials; weigh strengths and weaknesses; and form opinions based upon the selection criteria.

Written Report

Within 30 days of receiving access to the challenged materials, the review committee shall review the material and prepare a written report containing conclusions and recommendations for the principal.

If the principal receives simultaneous challenge of multiple material or if circumstances render the 30-day timeline impracticable, the principal may extend the committee's deadline to complete its review.

No reviews will be conducted during summer break or when school is not in session for one week or longer. The timeline for any review shall be tolled during such breaks.

Principal Review and Action

The principal shall review the recommendation of the review committee within 30 days of receipt thereof and may accept the review committee's recommendation, reject the review committee's recommendation, or make his or her own determination regarding the challenged book or material.

The decision of the principal may be appealed to the board by the complainant or member of the review committee.

Removing Challenged Materials

Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.

Impact of Simultaneous or Repeated Requests

If more than one request for review is received simultaneously, or, if one or more requests for review is received while another review is pending, timelines established in this policy may be extended by the principal, superintendent, or the board to allow the requests to be processed in turn. When more than one request for review is received for the same book or material, such requests may be consolidated to reduce redundancy in review at any stage of this process.

If a book or material has been reviewed by a building review committee, it will not be eligible for an additional review for at least one year from the date the principal took action on the previous challenge of the material.

Appealing the Review Decision to the Board of Education

If the issue outlined in the request is not resolved following the principal's decision, the requestor may seek review by the board. If a request for appeal is not made within two weeks, the concern shall be considered closed.

In determining whether to forward a challenge to a review committee, the board shall consider the following factors:

• The basis of the challenge;
• Whether the material has been previously challenged and reviewed pursuant to this process; and
• Whether it is necessary to submit it for additional review.

If the board chooses not to submit the challenge to the review committee, the superintendent will notify the requestor of the board's decision. If the board chooses to submit the challenge to a review committee, it shall forward all appropriate written materials necessary to the review committee.

Composition of Board Review Committee

When a review committee is established to handle requests for review concerning media center materials, the review committee shall be composed of the following:

A district-level administrator, an elementary principal from another school (EC-5) or an assistant principal from the relevant content area (6-12), one subject area specialist, one community member with a student in the level (elementary, middle, or high school) where the concern originated, one board member, and one student in the level (elementary, middle, or high school) where the concern originated. If the request for review proposes that the material is inappropriate for minors, the student representative may be left off the committee. The superintendent shall be responsible for appointing review committee members, unless otherwise determined by the board on a case-by-case basis.

Purview of Board Review Committee

The review committee shall examine and evaluate the material as a whole; consider the district's policy, procedures, and philosophy for selection of media center materials; weigh strengths and weaknesses; and form opinions based upon the selection criteria.

Written Report

Within 30 days of receiving access to the challenged materials, the review committee shall review the material and prepare a written report containing conclusions and recommendations for the board of education.

If the board receives simultaneous challenge of multiple material or if circumstances render the 30-day timeline impracticable, the board may extend the committee's deadline to complete its review.

No reviews will be conducted during summer break or when school is not in session for one week or longer. The timeline for any review shall be tolled during such breaks.

Board Review and Action

The board shall review the recommendation of the review committee within 30 days of receipt thereof and may accept the review committee's recommendation, reject the review committee's recommendation, or make its own determination regarding the challenged book or material.

The decision of the board is final.

Removing Challenged Materials

Challenged materials shall not be removed from use during the review period.

Impact of Simultaneous or Repeated Requests

If more than one request for review is received simultaneously, or, if one or more requests for review is received while another review is pending, timelines established in this policy may be extended by the superintendent or the board to allow the requests to be processed in turn. When more than one request for review is received for the same book or material, such requests may be consolidated to reduce redundancy in review at any stage of this process.

If a book or material has been reviewed by a review committee, it will not be eligible for an additional review for at least one year from the date the board took action on the previous challenge of the material.