School Board Rules on Library Book Screening And Removal Process

Library books were on the agenda for the La Grange ISD school board’s October meeting Monday.

The board, after lengthy discussion, approved their plan for how controversial library books could be screened and removed from school shelves.

The meeting began with comments from community member Jonathan Hernandez.

He stated “It could be said that the school and what it provides is the (one of the) largest influence on our youth’s lives. Parents are trusting you as stewards of their hearts and souls, as much as their minds.” He went on to say, “Thank you when you take more time hiring because you want to find the best candidate who brings values and excellence to our children. Thank you when values guide your decisions on policies. The school does more than just teach. If parents are sending their children to you each week, you are in charge of helping to form beliefs that they will carry for the rest of their lives.”

Another member of the public, Becky Snyder, addressed the board concerning the decisions on screening library books. She stated, “You have your own views and have heard the views of parents, but I am concerned that your haven’t heard the voices that matter most in this discussion – our students. With 34 years of experience in public schools across all levels from prek to high school, and as a retired school librarian, I feel uniquely qualified to speak on their behalf. Representation matters. We hear that phrase a lot in the media, but you probably haven’t given it much thought. Why is that? It could be that most of us in this room do not belong to an underrepresented population. We grew up seeing people like us in movies, tv shows, and books. Some teens want to see characters like themselves in books – the character with the alcoholic parent, or the brother in prison. The character who sometimes has to sleep in the car when the family is without housing. The character whose sexual orientation is not the same as most of the people in his class. Yes, teen readers also want historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy, but realistic fiction really hits home with them. But it’s not our reality – it’s theirs. Some like to say kids have it easy these days. I think kids have it differently, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. So, when you have your discussion tonight, remember, when it comes to books, representation matters. All of these things need to be reflected in our books – not just for those students being represented, but so that the rest can see and learn how others live.”

Later in the meeting, the board approved this new policy EFB (LOCAL) stating, “The district shall provide a wide range of library materials for students and faculty that support student achievement and present varying levels of difficulty, diversity of appeal, and a variety of points of view.” It also states, “Although the superintendent or designee shall ensure that librarians and other designated professional staff select library materials in accordance with district policy and administrative regulations, the ultimate authority for reviewing and removing library materials lies with the board.”

It goes on to say, “The district recognizes there is a vast array of material with rich educational content. It is the district’s objective to choose material that meets high standards in literary, artistic, and aesthetic qualities, technical aspects and physical format that is appropriate to students over material that may provide similar content but with elements that are pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable for minors in school.”

For elementary schools specifically:

No materials in elementary school libraries shall contain: 1) visual or visually implied depictions of sexual acts or simulations of such acts, 2) explicit written descriptions of sexual acts, 3) non-explicit written descriptions of sexual acts, except for purposes of teaching students (as may be approved by parents) to avoid and report molestation, or 4) visual depictions of explicit frontal nudity.

What does this all mean? It means that if a book that is currently on the shelves contains harmful material as defined by the code, it will be removed from the library shelves when it is discovered that is the case. There may still be books on the shelves that need to be removed based on this. However with over 30,000 book currently on the shelves, it is going to take time to find them all. If a parent sees a something in a book that they feel violates the code, they should bring it to the attention of their school administrator.

Selection of New Materials Library materials shall be chosen in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, as required by law. In the selection of library materials, librarians and other professional staff shall ensure that the materials:

• 1. Enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration students’ varied interests, abilities, learning styles, and maturity levels. •

• 2. Stimulate growth in factual knowledge, enjoyment of reading, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and societal standards.

• 3. Develop a balanced collection presenting multiple viewpoints related to controversial issues to foster critical thinking skills and encourage discussion based on rational analysis [see EMB regarding instruction about controversial issues].

• 4. Be appropriate for the subject area and for the age, intellectual development, and ability level of the students for whom the materials are selected.

• 5. Represent many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups and their contributions to the national heritage and world community.

• 6. Demonstrate literary merit, quality, value, and significance.

• 7. For non-fiction resources, include accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources.

• 8. Balance cost with need.

• 9. Have received state or national awards or are included on recommended reading lists developed by library professionals and educators.

• 10. Have received favorable professional library reviews from state and nationally recognized review publications.

• 11. Are requested or recommended by students and

teachers.

• 12. Represent diverse viewpoints and cultures appropriate to each campus to ensure the collection embodies the unique background of its student population.

Review sites can be used to assist in the selection of materials but such review site’s conclusions as to the appropriateness of the material shall not be deemed conclusive.

Policy for Challenging Resources

A parent of a District student, a student who is 18 years of age or older, an individual employee, or any District resident may challenge a library material maintained in the District’s library program on the basis that the library material fails to meet the standards set forth in this policy.

The major criterion for the final decision on challenged library materials is the appropriateness of the material for its intended use by minor students. No challenged library material shall be removed solely because of the ideas expressed therein. Appeal

The complainant may appeal the decision of the reconsideration committee in accordance with appropriate complaint policies, starting at the appropriate level.

Becky Snyder concluded her comment with the following statement. “Are there questionable things in books – yes, and the district has a policy right now that can deal with things when they come up. Please remember that books must be looked at in their entirety. Most of us here have a book at home that contains violence, incest, rape, adultery, slavery, and much more. Please be sure that your new policy won’t also ban the Bible from library shelves.”