View Policy / Procedure

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to provide direction for selection of textbooks, instructional materials and library materials.

II. GENERAL STATEMENT

A. The Moorhead School Board recognizes that selection of textbooks and instructional materials is a vital component of the school district's curriculum. The School Board also recognizes that it has the authority to make final decisions on selection of all textbooks and instructional materials.

B. The school board recognizes that library materials serve as a vital component of a student’s education by enriching the breadth of the curriculum as a whole and meeting the needs and interests of individual students.  The purpose of library materials is to meet the needs of all students. Therefore, questions regarding selection and reconsideration of library materials should be handled differently than those concerning textbooks and instructional materials.

To ensure that library materials fulfill this role, the school board delegates to the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee responsibility for administering a process for selection of library materials. Responsibility for selection shall rest with professionally trained school district staff, with recognition that the school board has the final authority on selection of library materials. Parents and guardians have the right and the responsibility to determine their children’s access to library materials.

III. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION

A. While the Moorhead School Board retains its authority to make final decisions on the selection of textbooks and instructional materials, the School Board recognizes the expertise of the professional staff and the vital need of such staff to be primarily involved in the recommendation of textbooks and instructional materials. Accordingly, the School Board delegates to the Superintendent or designee the responsibility to direct the professional staff in formulating recommendations to the School Board on textbooks and other instructional materials.

B. In reviewing textbooks and instructional materials during the selection process, the professional staff shall select materials which:

1. support the goals and objectives of the education programs;
2. consider the needs, age and maturity of students.
3. foster respect and appreciation for cultural diversity and varied opinion/interpretations;
4. fit within the constraints of the school district budget;
5. are in English language. Another language may be used, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes sections 124D.59 to 124D.61
6. permit grade-level instruction for students to read and study the United States of America's founding documents, including documents that contributed to the foundation or maintenance of the United States of America's representative form of limited government, the Bill of Rights, or free-market economic system, and patriotism; and
7. do not censor or restrain instruction in American or Minnesota state history or heritage based on religious references in original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamation, or records.

C. The Superintendent or designee has developed procedures and guidelines to establish an orderly process for the review and recommendation of textbooks and other instructional materials by the professional staff. Such procedures and guidelines shall provide opportunity for input and consideration of the views of students, parents/guardians and other interested members of the school district community. This procedure shall be coordinated with the school district's curriculum development effort and may utilize advisory committees (Administrative Procedures 606.1: District Wide K-12 Curriculum Review Model and 606.5: Curriculum/Program Change Request).

IV. SELECTION OF TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

A. The Superintendent or designee shall be responsible for keeping the School Board informed of progress on the part of staff and others involved in the textbook and other instructional materials review and selection process.

B. The Superintendent or designee shall present a recommendation to the School Board on the selection of textbooks and other instructional materials after completion of the review process as outlined in this policy (Administrative Procedure 606.1: District Wide K-12 Curriculum Review Model and 606.5: Curriculum/Program Change Request).

V. RECONSIDERATION OF TEXTBOOKS OR OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

A. The School Board recognizes differences of opinion on the part of some members of the school district community relating to certain areas of the instruction program. Interested persons may request an opportunity to review materials and submit a request for reconsideration of the use of certain textbooks or instructional materials.

B. The Superintendent shall be responsible for the guidelines and procedures to identify the steps to be followed to seek reconsideration of textbooks or other instructional materials. (Administrative Procedure 606.4: Procedures for Reevaluation of Instructional Resources)

C. The Superintendent shall present a procedure to the School Board for review and approval regarding reconsideration of textbooks or other instructional materials. When approved by the School Board, such a procedure shall be an addendum to this policy.

VI. DEFINITIONS

A. “Library” is the school district resource that holds the library collection that serves the information and independent reading needs of students and supports the curriculum needs of teachers and staff. The term “library” includes a school library media center. The term also includes access to electronic materials.

For school districts with multiple school buildings, the term “library” refers to the resource within a specific school building.

Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.991, states that a school district or charter school library or school library media center provides equitable and free access to students, teachers, and administrators and that a school library or school library media center must have the following characteristics:

1. ensures every student has equitable access to resources and is able to locate, access, and use resources that are organized and cataloged;
2. has a collection development plan that includes but is not limited to materials selection and deselection, a challenged materials procedure, and an intellectual and academic freedom statement;
3. is housed in a central location that provides an environment for expanded learning and supports a variety of student interests;
4. has technology and Internet access; and
5. is served by a licensed school library media specialist or licensed school librarian.

B. “Library collection” consists of the library materials made available to students.

C. “Library materials” are the books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, prints, documents, videotapes, subscription content, electronic and digital materials (including e-books, audiobooks, and databases), and related items made available to students in a school building or through access to electronic materials This term does not include materials made available to students as part of the curriculum.

D. “Library media specialist” is a teacher holding a Library Media Specialist teaching license issued by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Boards and who is trained to deliver library services to students and staff in a library. A library media specialist is authorized under Minnesota Rules to provide to students in kindergarten through grade 12 instruction that is designed to provide information and technology literacy skills instruction, to lead, collaborate, and consult with other classroom teachers for the purpose of integrating information and technology literacy skills with content teaching, and to administer media center operations, programming, and resources.

VII. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

A. The school board recognizes the expertise of the school district’s professional staff and the vital need of such staff to be responsible for selection of library materials.

B. While recommendations by administrators, faculty members, students, parents, and other community members may be considered, the final responsibility for selection of library materials shall rest with the library media specialist.

C. The procedures for selection and reconsideration set forth in this policy will be administered by:

1. a licensed library media specialist under Minnesota Rules, part 8710.4550;

2. an individual with a master’s degree in library science or library and information science; or

3. a professional librarian or a person trained in library collection management.

D. The school board may decline to purchase, lend, or shelve or remove access to library materials legitimately based on:

1. practical reasons, including but not limited to shelf space limitations, rare or antiquarian status, damage, or obsolescence;

2. legitimate pedagogical concerns, including but not limited to the appropriateness of potentially sensitive topics for the library's intended audience, the selection of library materials for a curated collection, or the likelihood of causing a material and substantial disruption of the work and discipline of the school; or

3. compliance with state or federal law. Minnesota Statutes 134.51

VIII. SELECTION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

A. Selection Criteria: The library materials selection process should result in a library collection that, when considered as a whole, is consistent with the following criteria:

1. 1. Artistic quality and/or literary style;
   2. Authenticity;
   3. Critical thinking;
   4. Educational significance;
   5. Factual content;
   6. High interest for intended audience; and
   7. Readability;

The selection of library materials shall conform tot he constraints of the school district budget.

B. The library media specialist shall consult sources and specialists experienced in library materials collections appropriate for the building’s students and that are reputable, experienced, unbiased, and professionally trained in school library materials.

C. The Superintendent or the superintendent’s designee shall be responsible for keeping the school board informed of progress on review and selection of each building’s library materials.

D. Library materials that are outdated, inaccurate, no longer useful for curricular support or reading enrichment, or have not been utilized for an extended period of time may be removed. Library materials that are in poor physical condition may be removed or replaced as determined by the library media specialist.

E. Gifts and Donations of Library Materials

Materials offered for donation or gifted to a school library may be accepted if they comply with the library collection selection criteria and approved by the library media specialist. The school district’s libraries welcome donations of books and other resource materials from individuals and organizations but also reserve the right to decline to accept library materials that do not meet the criteria for selection.  In addition, financial donations to benefit school district’s libraries will be accepted with the understanding that funds will be used to purchase materials that are needed for libraries based on the needs of the individual schools.

IX. INDIVIDUAL STUDENT ACCESS TO SPECIFIC LIBRARY MATERIALS

A parent or guardian may request that access to specific material in the library materials collection be restricted from their student. The school shall take reasonable steps to fulfill this request. This type of request will not result in removal of specific library collection material from the library or restrictions upon any other student accessing specific library materials.

X. RECONSIDERATION OF SPECIFIC LIBRARY MATERIAL

A. The school board seeks to uphold students’ access to library materials that meet the educational goals and selection criteria set forth in this policy.

B. A school district employee, student, or a parent or guardian of a school district student may request reconsideration of specific library material on the basis of appropriateness. Access to the material in question shall not be restricted until the procedures listed below have been fully completed and a decision to remove or restrict the materials has been made.

C. Informal Request for Reconsideration of Specific Library Material

1. Requests for reconsideration of specific library material shall be directed to the library media specialist and the building principal.  The building principal and the library media specialist shall assume responsibility for processing the request on an informal basis.
2. The building principal and/or the library media specialist shall provide an explanation to the individual who submitted the request. The explanation shall include the particular selection criteria that the material in question met in order to be included in the library as curriculum support or as an independent reading choice for students in the building.
3. If the request is not resolved informally, the principal shall submit a report on the matter to the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee.  The requestor will have an option to initiate a Formal Request for Reconsideration.

D. Formal Request for Reconsideration of Specific Library Collection Material

1. A Formal Request for Reconsideration of specific library material is initiated upon submission of a completed Formal Request for Reconsideration of Specific Library Collection Material form.   The form must be completed in its entirety for each work that is subject to a request for reconsideration. The principal shall notify the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee and the library media specialist of receipt of a completed Formal Request form. 
2. If specific library material is the subject of a Formal Request for Reconsideration and a final decision is made to retain the specific library material, then the specific library material shall not be subject to additional requests for reconsideration for three years following the date of final resolution of the initial Formal Request for Reconsideration.

On an annual basis, the Superintendent or the superintendent’s designee shall appoint a Library Materials Review Committee (Review Committee). This committee shall include:

1. 1. One member of the school district administration
   2. One principal
   3. Two teachers
   4. District Media Specialist
   5. Two members of the school district community with no direct connection with the request for reconsideration
   6. Two student representatives (as appropriate to the specific request)

The Review Committee shall establish a date upon which it will discuss the request and whether the specific library collection material conforms to the selection criteria set forth in this policy.

1. 1. The Review Committee:
      1. may consult individuals, organizations, and other resources with relevant professional knowledge on school library material;
      2. shall examine the specific library material as a whole;
      3. shall examine the specific library material as to its conformance with the criteria for selection of library materials; and
      4. shall submit a written report to the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee containing the Review Committee’s decision on whether to retain, to remove, or to take other action regarding the specific library material.

The Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee shall inform the requestor and the school board of the Review Committee’s decision.  The requestor may appeal the Review Committee’s decision to the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee by submitting a written appeal to the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee within fourteen (14) days of submission of the Review Committee’s decision to the requestor. The Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee shall provide a written decision on a requestor’s appeal within a reasonable time period.

The requestor shall have the right to appeal the decision of the Superintendent or the Superintendent's designee to the School Board.

XI. CHALLENGE REPORT

Upon completion of a content challenge or reconsideration process in accordance with this policy, the school board or designee must submit a report of the challenge to the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education that includes:

a. the title, author, and other relevant identifying information about the material being challenged;

b. the date, time, and location of any public hearing held on the challenge in question, including minutes or transcripts;

c. the result of the challenge or reconsideration request; and

d. accurate and timely information on who from the school district the Department of Education may contact with questions or follow-up.

XII. PROHIBITION ON RETALIATION

The school district may not discriminate against or discipline an employee for complying with Minnesota Statutes, section 134.51.