1312.3

Instruction/Community Relations

Library Material Review and Reconsideration Policy

Statement of Policy:

The_____________ Board of Education understands that, on occasion, a member of the public will wish to lodge a complaint against instructional material used in the classroom or available in the school library/media center. Consideration of requests to reconsider and remove material, displays, or student programs, is limited to individuals with a vested interest. An individual with vested interest may challenge any library and other educational materials, display or student program by initiating a review of such material via the submission of a request for reconsideration form.

It shall be the policy of the _______ Board of Education that the removal, exclusion or censoring of any book shall not occur on the sole basis that a person with a vested interest finds such book offensive. No library and other educational material, display or program shall be removed from library media centers, or programs be canceled, because of the origin, background or viewpoints expressed in such material, display or program or because of the origin, background or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display or program. Library and other educational materials, displays and student programs shall only be excluded for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards of collection maintenance practices as adopted in the collection development and maintenance policy or the display and program policy.

Until a final decision is made by the review committee any library and other educational material being challenged shall remain available in the school library media center according to such material's catalog record and be available for a student to reserve, check out or access.

A school district may consolidate any requests for review and reconsideration of the same challenged library and other educational material. Once a decision has been made by the review committee on any library and other educational material, such material cannot be subject to a new request for review and reconsideration for a period of three years.

The __________ Board of Education will review and update this policy as necessary every five years.

Definitions

"Library and other educational material" means any material belonging to, on loan to or otherwise in the custody of a school library media center, including, but not limited to, nonfiction and fiction books, magazines, reference books, supplementary titles, multimedia and digital material, software and other material not required as part of classroom instruction.

"School library staff member" means a school library media specialist, school librarian, any certified or non-certificated staff member whose assignment is in the school library or any individual carrying out or assisting with the functions of a school library media specialist or school librarian.

"Individual with a vested interest" means any school staff member employed by a local or regional board of education, parent or guardian of a student currently enrolled in a school at the time a reconsideration form is filed and any student currently enrolled in a school at the time a reconsideration form is filed.

"Remove" means deliberately taking library material out of a library's collection. "Remove" does not include the process of clearing such collection of any materials that are no longer useful.

Material Review and Reconsideration Procedure

The Board of Education has established the following procedure for addressing complaints regarding the utilization of library and other educational materials:

1. Individuals with a vested interest may initiate the review or reconsideration of any library and other educational materials, display or student program by submitting a request for recommendation form to the principal of the school in which the library and other education material is being challenged.

2. The Principal, or the Principal's designee, shall promptly forward the request for reconsideration to the Superintendent of Schools for the school district.

3. The Superintendent, or the Superintendent's designee, shall appoint a review committee consisting of:

a. The Superintendent, or the Superintendent's designee

b. the Principal of the school in which the library and other educational material is being challenged, or the Principal's designee

c. the Director of curriculum, or a person in an equivalent

d. a representative from the local or regional board of education

e. at least one grade-level-appropriate teacher familiar with the library material, provided the teacher selected is not the individual who submitted the form

f. a parent or guardian of a student age thirteen years or younger enrolled in the school district, provided the parent or guardian selected is not the individual who submitted the form

g. a parent or guardian of a student age fourteen years or older enrolled in the school district, provided the parent or guardian selected is not the individual who submitted the form

h. a certified school librarian employed by such board or employed by another board of education in the state.

In cases where such form is submitted by a student enrolled in grades nine to twelve, inclusive, and when appropriate and at the discretion of the superintendent, a student enrolled in grades nine to twelve, inclusive, may serve on the review committee if such student did not submit the reconsideration form, provided the superintendent consults with the principal of the school involved in such reconsideration request prior to making this determination whether to include such student on the review committee.

4. The review committee shall evaluate the request for reconsideration form by reading the challenged material in its entirety and evaluating the challenged material against the school district's Collection Development and Maintenance Policy.

5. The review committee shall make a written decision on whether or not to remove the challenged material within sixty school days from the date of receiving such request and provide a copy of the committee's decision and report to the individual with a vested interest who submitted the form and to the principal of the school.

6. The individual with a vested interest who submitted the request for reconsideration form may appeal to the review committee's decision to the local or regional board of education for the school district. The Board shall determine whether the reconsideration process was followed and publish the decision on the Internet website of the school district.

General Provisions

Any school library media specialist or school library staff member who, in good faith, implements the policies described in this section shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding that results from such implementation.

Legal Reference: Public Act 25-168 An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2027, and Making Appropriations Therefor, and Provisions Related to Revenue and Other Items Implementing the State Budget.

Policy adopted:

R 1312.2

6161.12

Community Relations/Instruction

Library Material Review and Reconsideration

Purpose:

This regulation establishes a procedure for certified school library media specialist to continually review library and other educational material within a school library media center in order to ensure that library and other education materials in school library media centers are relevant, in good condition, and are age-appropriate or grade-level appropriate.

General Procedure:

Using the criteria identified below and their professional judgment, the school library media specialist shall conduct a systematic review of the library's collection:

1. Material relevance

a. Consult with instructional staff to determine whether the material is still useful and has up-to-date information.

b. Evaluate usage data to assess the material's relevance to student interests and research needs.

2. Physical condition of the material

a. Assess whether the material is damaged or worn beyond reasonable use.

3. Availability of duplicates or copies of the material

a. Determine whether the availability of duplicates or multiple copies is justified based on usage statistics to avoid redundancy.

4. Availability of more recent age-appropriate or grade-level appropriate material

a. Investigate the availability of newer editions or versions that offer more current and accurate information by considering award and recommended lists for recently recognized literature.

b. Ensure that any new material uses language that is appropriate for the reading level of students in the targeted grade range and developmental levels.

c. Evaluate whether the new material's treatment of difficult or sensitive subjects (e.g., death, mental health, violence, sexuality) is in a developmentally appropriate way for the intended student audience.

5. Continued demand for the material

a. Consult with instructional staff to determine whether the material continues to be cited or referred to for classroom instruction.

b. Review usage data to determine whether the material is still being sought by students or teachers.

Regulation approved:

1312.3 Form 1

(Name of District)

Request for Reconsideration of Library Books/Materials

Title ________________________________________________________________________

Author __________________________________________ Publisher ____________________

This request was initiated by

[ ] Parent/Guardian

[ ] Student

[ ] Other (please specify) ___________________________________

The material is best described as a:

[ ] Book

[ ] Video or Online Content

[ ] Periodical/Magazine

[ ] Other Media. Please specify ____________________________________________________

Please answer the following questions:

1. Did you read, view, or listen to the entire work? If not, what parts did you examine?

_________________________________________________________________________________

2. In what specific ways do you think this work is inappropriate for students?

_________________________________________________________________________________

3. What have you been told about the educational purpose of this material?

_________________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you believe is the theme or purpose of this material?

_________________________________________________________________________________

5. For what age group would you recommend this material?

_________________________________________________________________________________

6. Are you aware of the judgment of this work by literary critics and/or professional educators/organizations?

_________________________________________________________________________________

7. What are the valuable aspects of this material?

_________________________________________________________________________________

8. What do you feel may be the results of students reading, listening to, or viewing this material?

_________________________________________________________________________________

9. What work/material of equal or superior value would you recommend to replace the one in question?

_________________________________________________________________________________

10. Please explain your reasons for objection:

_________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________ ________________________

Signature of Complainant Date

1312.3 Form 2

______________ PUBLIC SCHOOLS

________________________ CONNECTICUT

Request for Appeal of Reconsideration of Library and Other Educational Materials Decision

Full Legal Name: _________________________ Title of Material: ____________________

Address: _____________________________ Telephone Number: _________________

Author:_________________________________ Publisher: __________________________

Date the Reconsideration Decision was communicated to you: ___________________

Please explain why you are appealing against this decision:

_________________________________________________________________________________

How do you believe the review committee failed to follow the reconsideration process?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Are you submitting any documentation with this appeal? If so, please list/describe supporting documents:

_________________________________________________________________________________

The ____________ Board of Education shall determine whether the reconsideration process was followed and will publish the decision on the internet web site of the school district.

1312.3 Complainant Letter

______________ PUBLIC SCHOOLS

________________________ CONNECTICUT

Sample Letter to Complainant

Date: _____________

Complainant Name

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

Dear [Complainant's Name],

Thank you for bringing your concerns regarding one of our school's library materials to our attention. In accordance with Connecticut state law, our school has a procedure in place to adjudicate concerns and reconsideration requests.

To facilitate this review, we kindly request that you submit a Request for Reconsideration of Library Books and Materials form to clearly identify the specific content you find objectionable and describe the nature of your concerns. Once your submission is received it will be forwarded to the District Library Review Committee for formal consideration. The Committee's review process includes thoroughly reviewing the material, assessing its educational value, and addressing all concerns raised.

If you have any questions or require assistance with this process, please do not hesitate to contact me at [phone number or email address].

Thank you for engaging with us to support a thoughtful and responsible approach to creating libraries that meets the needs of all students.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Title]