Instructional Materials
In accordance with district policy 9130 (Public Complaints and Grievances), any person or group having a legitimate interest in the schools of this district may present a request, suggestion, or complaint concerning district personnel, the educational program, instructional or resource materials, or the operations of the district.
Procedures will be governed by the following guidelines:
The matter will be resolved initially, wherever possible, by informal discussions between or among the interested parties.
A matter that cannot be resolved informally may be appealed at successive levels of authority, up to and including the Board of Education.
The complaint and its immediate resolution will be reduced to writing at the first and at each successive level of appeal.
A reasonable period of time, not to exceed fifteen (15) working days, will be permitted for the filing of an appeal in writing at each successive level. A decision at each level of appeal must be rendered in writing no later than ten (10) working days after the appeal is filed, except that the Board shall have thirty (30) calendar days to make its decision.
In the case of complaints about instructional or resource materials, the initial complaint must set forth in writing the author, title, and publisher of the materials as well as those specific portions of the material or the work to which objection is taken; the complainant’s familiarity with the work; the reasons for the objection; and the use of the work in the schools. The Superintendent shall appoint a committee of professional staff members, which shall also include community representatives, to review the challenged material against the standards for the selection of resource materials established by Board policy. The committee will report its findings to the Board. No challenged material may be removed from the curriculum or from a collection of resource materials except by action of the Board of Education, and no challenged material may be removed solely because it presents ideas that may be unpopular or offensive to some. In making a decision, the Board shall rely heavily upon the recommendations and professional judgment of the Superintendent of Schools. Any Board action to remove material will be accompanied by the Board’s statement of its reasons for the removal.