A WISD district employee, parent/guardian of a WISD student, or district resident may request the reconsideration of a library material maintained in the district's library program.
The WISD libraries remain a dynamic and responsive institution that balances professional expertise with community values and individual concerns regarding the materials available in its collections.
Parents or guardians have the right to determine what educational resources, including library materials, are appropriate for their own child based on their beliefs, values, and judgments about what is suitable for their child's age and maturity.
Access to a material that has been challenged (objected to) will be restricted while the reconsideration process is ongoing.
In addition to compliance with state law and board policy, a criterion for the final decision on challenged library materials is the appropriateness of the material for its intended use. No challenged library material shall be removed solely because of the ideas expressed in the library material or the personal background of the library material’s author or the personal background of the characters in the material.
If a WISD district employee, parent/guardian of a WISD student, or a district resident would like to request the reconsideration of a library material, they can obtain the form from the district's administrative office or on the WISD website under the Student Services department.
The process will be as follows:
After a request for reconsideration form is submitted, the form shall be provided to the Superintendent. Copies of the form shall be provided to the school librarian, the Board, and any other staff designated in administrative procedures.
The Superintendent shall appoint a reconsideration committee and notify committee members within 10 business days of receiving the request for reconsideration form. The reconsideration committee shall include the librarian and at least one member of the instructional staff who is familiar with the material’s content. Other members of the committee may include District-level staff, parents or guardians, and any other appropriate individuals.
Within 10 business days of appointment of the committee the District shall provide members of the committee the relevant materials to review. If additional time is required to obtain and distribute the materials for review, all members of the committee shall be informed that a reasonable extension of time is needed.
All members of the committee shall review the challenged library material in its entirety and determine whether the material conforms to this policy and whether the material will continue to be available in the library, moved to a different school library, or removed.
Absent extenuating circumstances, the written report shall be provided to the administration within 60 days of the District providing the material to the committee members. In calculating timelines under this policy, the day the committee is provided the materials is “day zero.” The following business day is “day one.”
The Superintendent, the school librarian, the individual submitting the request for reconsideration, and any other appropriate administrators shall receive a copy of the committee’s report.
An individual who submitted a request for reconsideration may appeal the decision of the reconsideration committee in accordance with appropriate complaint policies, starting at the level immediately preceding Board consideration of a complaint. [See Board Policy DGBA and FNG]
After a library material has been reviewed through the reconsideration process, it shall not be reviewed again within two calendar years of the reconsideration committee’s final decision.