Board Policy Section 6415
District #100 Burwell, NE 68823
Board Policy Section 6415
Policy Adopted: December 14, 1998
New Policy
Library-Media, Selection and Review 6415
The board of education which is responsible for the purchase of all material, recognizes the student's right to free access to many different types of media. The board of education also recognizes the right of teachers and administrators to select books and materials in accord with current trends in education and to make them readily available in the schools. It shall be the policy of this district to purchase materials utilizing the following procedures:
SELECTION GUIDELINES.
I. Materials should strive to enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, maturity levels, and the ethnic backgrounds of the students served.
II. Materials selected and the staff presentation of information should refrain from the use of vulgar statements, the use of derogatory sexual oriented statements or biases, racial degradation, or other statements or materials which may not be consistent with the high standards desired by the community or which may be inconsistent with school board policies.
III. Materials should strive to stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciations, aesthetic values, and ethical standards.
IV. Selections of materials should strive to provide a background of information, thus enabling students to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives.
V. Selections of material should strive to present opposing sides of controversial issues, so that students may develop under guidance the practice of critical reading and thinking.
VI. Selection of materials should strive to represent all religious, political, ethnic, and social groups and their contribution to our American heritage.
VII. Materials shall be in harmony with the Constitution and laws of the United States and of the State of Nebraska.
SPECIFIC REGULATIONS ON SELECTION.
I. The responsibility of selection shall rest with the building principal in consultation with the certified staff and the approval of the superintendent of schools.
II. The basic factors in selection shall be the curriculum, the reading interest, the abilities, the backgrounds, and maturity levels of the students.
III. All selection of material shall be a cooperative, continuing process in which administrators, teachers, media specialists, and students participate.
IV. Materials made available through individuals or outside agencies shall be referred to the building principal and media specialist for screening.
V. The following authorities are representative of those which may be consulted in selection of library materials:
A. Publications by: American Library Association, National Council of Teachers of English, H. W. Wilson catalog series, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Education Association and the Association for Education Communication and Technology.
B. Current periodicals, such as: School Library Journal, American Library Association Booklist, Horn Book, and professional journals in various subjects.
REVIEW OF MATERIALS.
The board of education recognizes the right of individual parents or citizens to challenge the use of certain materials. Such challenges shall be handled by the following procedures:
I. Requests shall be made to the building principal or the media specialist for the "Reconsideration of Media" form. The challenger's statement must be signed and identified so that a reply can be given. See AR-6415 for a copy of the form Request for Reconsideration of Media.
II. The material in question shall be reviewed by a committee of two teachers and the media specialist, appointed by the building principal. They shall review the materials and judge whether it conforms to the stated principles. The report of this committee shall be completed within thirty (30) school days and presented to the building principal with a copy sent to the superintendent of schools. The challenger shall be notified of findings of the committee.
III. If the challenger does not agree with the decision of the committee, he or she may file a notice of appeal with the superintendent of schools within ten (10) school days following receipt of such a decision and the matter will then be presented to the board of education at a regularly scheduled meeting. The decision of the board of education shall be final.
DISPOSAL OF DISCONTINUED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL.
Non-consumable instructional supplies become surplus to the school district for a variety of reason, among them:
I. Obsolete - to be replaced by updated material.
II. Expiration of adoption period.
III. Torn, soiled or defaced.
IV. Needed, but damaged to the extent that the item is not economically repairable.
The building principal shall be responsible for directing the disposal of instruction materials classified as no longer needed by the school district.
