NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Creating Conditions for Learning So All Students Can Succeed

NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Creating Conditions for Learning So All Students Can Succeed

VI-30: Library Materials Selection and Adoption

North Sanpete School District
Statement of .............

Board Policy with Guidelines

Policy Number: VI-30
Effective Date: 03/09/1999
Revised Date: 09/20/2022


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Subject:  Library Collection

Board Policy

The Board of Education recognizes that it has broad discretion in managing and operating the schools of the District, including in selecting library materials, and that it has delegated authority to District and school administration in this matter.


The Board of Education recognizes the importance of freedom of inquiry and study, the constitutional and First Amendment restrictions on the suppression of ideas, and that school libraries offer a place and opportunity for the exercise of intellectual freedom and the right to read, inquire, study, and evaluate outside of the setting of formal instruction. The Board of Education further recognizes that school libraries are different from public libraries in that they are not open to the public, primarily serve the school’s students (who are minors), and are part of the instructional resources of the school. The Board has adopted this policy to serve and balance these interests while taking into account the values of the community.


Definitions


  1. “Library material” means any digital media (including audio or visual media) or physical text contained within a school library’s collection.
  2. “School library” means the location, both physical and virtual, where library materials are housed and administered by professional staff hired to oversee the selection, maintenance, and access to school library materials.
  3. “Self-selection” means the right and responsibility of individual students and the student’s parent or legal guardian to select materials from a school library.
  4. “School Library Material Review Committee” means a committee formed at the school level, appointed as needed and consisting of a school administrator or administrators, at least one educator with a Master’s degree, at least one educator who is currently teaching English language arts or subject relevant to the challenged material from the school, and at least two parents with students enrolled in and attending the school. An administrator member of the committee shall serve as the committee chair. Parents appointed to a School Library Material Review Committee shall be reflective of the members of the relevant school community. The School Library Material Review Committee considering a particular request may not include either an individual who originally selected the material for inclusion in the library or the individual who has made the request or a family member of the individual making the request. Utah Code § 53G-10-103(3) (2022)
  5. “District Library Material Review Committee” means a committee formed at the District level, appointed as needed and consisting of a District administrator or administrators, at least two educators with a Master’s degree, educators from at least two other schools of the same level (secondary or elementary) as the school where the request arises, and at least three parents with students enrolled in and attending other District schools of the same level. An administrator member of the committee shall serve as the committee chair. Parents appointed to a District Library Material Review Committee shall be reflective of the members of the District community. The District Library Material Review

 

Committee considering a particular request may not include a member of the school library material review committee who considered the original request. Utah Code § 53G-10-103(3) (2022)


Selection and Maintenance of Materials


School library collection development is the ongoing process of identifying strengths and weaknesses of the library’s print, non-print, electronic resources, and equipment in relation to the student and staff needs. School library media centers shall provide a broad range of educational, informational, and recreational reading resources.


A. The school librarian, subject to the oversight of the principal and working in cooperation with school staff, shall select new library materials taking into consideration the following criteria and subject to the overall requirements that the material is age appropriate and does not include pornographic or indecent materials as defined by Utah Code 53G-10-103:

  1. Overall purpose and educational significance
  2. Contribution and relevance to core standards
  3. Teacher, parent, or student request
  4. Validity, currency, and appropriateness
  5. Accuracy, timeliness, and permanence
  6. Favorable reviews, recommendations and/or award nominees found in standard selection sources or from professional personnel
  7. Contributes to a balanced perspective
  8. Potential appeal and interest
  9. Recreational reading need of students
  10. Artistic quality and literary style
  11. Reputation and significance of author, producer, or publisher
  12. Value commensurate with cost and/or need
  13. Uniqueness, diversity, and/or heritage of the state, region, or group
  14. Support of second language learners
  15. Support of special needs students
  16. Merit of the work as a whole


B. Electronic databases and other web-based searches and content will be filtered through state-required internet filter.

C.  The donation of a book or material from an outside sources does not guarantee placement in a District library media center. Potential donations must be reviewed using the same criteria for selection of purchased materials.

D. A patron-accessible library catalog of all library materials will be maintained by each school within North Sanpete School District and include the following information:

  1. The title and author of the material;
  2. All available formats of the material;
  3. Summary and content information as available;
  4. The date the material was acquired; and
  5. The checkout status of the material


E. Weeding is essential to maintain a relevant and up-to-date collection. The school’s library staff should periodically review the collection to determine which materials should be removed and replaced. Books should be considered for removal if any of the following conditions apply:

  1. The book is in poor physical condition. However, literary quality and availability of a replacement should be considered.
  2. The book or series has been superseded by books containing more current information.
  3. The book contains subject matter no longer needed to support the curriculum.
  4. The book contains wrong, inaccurate or dated information.
  5. The book encourages stereotypes.
  6. The book receives little use.


Student access to library materials is based primarily on self-selection. Library staff are available to consult with students and with the parent or guardian of students to find appropriate materials but are not responsible for final selections of the student. If a student’s parent or guardian wishes to restrict that student’s access to any particular library item (a specific work or title), the parent or guardian may make a written request to the library staff and the student will then not be allowed to check out that item.


A. School Library Materials Review:

  1. The sole purpose of the School Library Materials Review Committee shall be to determine whether the item contains pornographic or indecent material as defined in Section 53G-10-103 and the guidance letter provided by the Attorney General’s Office dated June 1, 2022 or address concerns regarding age- appropriateness of content. An item may not be removed because of disagreement with the item’s content relating to politics, religion, nationalism, or other matters of opinion.
  2. A library review request of a material may only be made by:
  3. a parent of a student that attends that school;
  4. a student who attends the school; or
  5. an employee of the school
  6. member of the NSSD Board of Education
  7. Before filing a request for review regarding a library item, the individual shall first meet with the school librarian, who shall if able, explain the intended purpose and use of the item in question.
  8. If the librarian is unable to provide this information or the individual is not satisfied with the information provided, the individual shall then meet with the principal (or a school administrator designated by the principal) regarding the concern.
  9. Any adult who wishes to file a request for review must first read or review the library item as a whole before filing a request for review (students are not to be required, requested, or encouraged to complete reading or reviewing library material in which they have discovered content they believe is sensitive material).
  10. If the individual making the request wishes to continue with the review process, they shall complete the Request for School Review of Library Materials form and be given a copy of the Library Collection Policy. School administration shall make an initial determination whether the form has been fully completed and requirements for requesting a review have been met. If so, the principal or designee shall establish a School Library Materials Review Committee to conduct the review.
  11. Upon receipt of the request for review, the school administrator or designee will acknowledge the receipt of the request and convene a School Library Review Committee within a reasonable time.
  12. The identity of the requestor will be protected and kept confidential from all individuals outside of the review process outlined in this policy, to the extent possible.
  13. The requestor must provide all information requested on the form including the requestor’s complaint or objection to the library material.
  14. The material that is subject to a review request will have restricted access until processes described in this policy are completed. The material’s access level will be consistent in all schools within North Sanpete School District until a final determination is made regarding the material. Catalog information will reflect the current checkout status of the item.
  15. The Review Committee will determine the amount of time needed for an adequate review of a material to make a thorough and thoughtful decision and inform the requestor of the determined timeline with a preference for 30 school days where possible and no longer than 60 school days.
  16. The School Library Materials Review Committee may request that the North Sanpete School Board determine the maximum amount of time allowed for review and determination.
  17. Members of the School Library Materials Review Committee will receive materials to complete the review process, including the following:
  18. access to the complete work that includes the material being challenge
  19. a copy of the Materials Review Request form;
  20. a copy of this policy
  21. relevant information about the title compiled and shared by the library staff, including reason for initial approval of the material; and
  22. recorded public comment as described below.
  23. The school will provide parents in their school community an opportunity to make written comment regarding the material designated for review. All comments will be made available to the School Library Materials Review Committee.
  24. The Committee Chair will schedule meetings and maintain minutes of each meeting.
  25. The notes from each meeting will be retained by North Sanpete School District and the school conducting the review along with all relevant documentation and the final determination.
  26. In deciding whether the material constitutes sensitive material, the Committee must:
  27. consider all elements of the definitions of pornographic or indecent materials as defined in Utah Code Sections 76-10-1235, 76-10-1201, 76-10-1203, and 76-10-1227; and Final Passed Version July 26 2022
  28. whether the material is age appropriate due to vulgarity or violence.
  29. In deciding whether the material is age appropriate due to vulgarity, violence, or content, the Committee must consider the material taken as a whole and consider whether it has serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors, which may include the following objective criteria:
  30. reliable, expert reviews of the material or other objective sources;
  31. committee members’ experience and background; and
  32. community standards.
  33. In deciding whether the material taken as a whole has serious literary, artistic political, or scientific value, the Committee should consider that:
  34. serious value does not mean any value; and
  35. greater protections should exist concerning content for a library in an elementary or middle school setting.
  36. The Review Committee will make a final determination of a reviewed material as follows:
  37. Retained: the determination to maintain access in a school setting to the challenged material for all students.
  38. Restricted: the determination to restrict access in a school setting to the challenged material for certain students as determined by the Review Committee.
  39. Removed: the determination to prohibit access in a school setting to the challenged material for all students.
  40. The decision of the School Library Materials Review Committee will be determined by majority vote.
  41. The final determination of the School Library Materials Review Committee will be communicated to the requestor and appropriate employees within 5 school days of the decision being made.
  42. Any item which has been subject to review, reviewed under this policy, and retained may not be subject to another request for review for at least three years within the scope of the review conducted (school or district) and each individual is limited to three requests to review library materials per school year.
  43. North Sanpete School District will maintain a list of all materials that receive a “removed” determination and make the list available to similar schools within North Sanpete School District and to USBE as required.
  44. Decisions of all challenged books will be communicated to schools within North Sanpete School District whether retained, restricted, or removed.

 

B. Appeals Process

  1. The original requestor or another individual who was not on the School Library Review Committee may appeal the determination of the School Library Review Committee in writing to the school principal within 15 business days of receipt of the School Library Materials Review Committee’s final determination using an Appeal Request Form.
  2. If an appeal is filed with the school principal, the North Sanpete School District (NSSD) will act as the District Library Material Review Committee.
  3. The District Library Materials Review Committee may add parent or school administrator member(s) who did not participate in the initial School Review Committee, only as necessary to have an odd number of members.
  4. If there is not an appeal of the School Review Committee’s recommendation, the School Review Committee’s recommendation is the final determination for the challenged material.
  5. The District Library Material Review Committee will determine the amount of time needed for an adequate review, not longer than 60 school days and a preference for 30 school days, of a material required to make a thorough and thoughtful decision and inform the requestor of the determined timeline.
  6. Members of the District Library Material Review Committee will receive materials to complete the review process, including the following:
  7. 1. a copy of the material;
  8. a copy of the Materials Review Request form;
  9. all meeting minutes;
  10. the School Review Committee’s final recommendation and rationale for the decision;
  11. any other documents considered part of the administrative record related to the
  12. Review School Review Committee’s proceedings including all recorded public comments.
  13. Prior to a decision by District Library Material Review Committee, NSSD will provide an opportunity for public comment regarding the material at a governing board meeting.
  14. The district will provide notice to parents about the opportunity to provide public comment regarding the material that is subject for review at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting for public comment.
  15. Public comments will be provided to the District Library Material Review Committee.
  16. The District Library Material Review Committee will schedule meetings as needed, as determined by this committee and maintain minutes of each meeting.
  17. The notes from each meeting will be retained by the NSSD along with all relevant documentation and the final determination by the District Library Material Review Committee.
  18. The District Library Material Review Committee may make a final determination of a reviewed material as follows:
  19. Retained: the determination to maintain access in a school setting to the challenged material for all students;
  20. Restricted: the determination to restrict access in a school setting to the challenged material for certain students;
  21. Removed: the determination to prohibit access in a school setting to the challenged material for all students; or another determination as decided by the District Library Material Review Committee.
  22. The decision of the District Library Material Review Committee will be determined by majority vote.
  23. A material may not be reviewed again for three school years if the District Library Material Review Committee votes to uphold a School Review Committee’s determination.
  24. The final determination of the District Library Material Review Committee will be communicated to the requestor and appropriate employees within 10 days of the determination.
  25. NSSD will maintain a list of the determinations by District Library Material Review Committee and make the list available to all schools within NSSD, public and USBE as required.
  26. The requestor may petition the USBE for a procedural review of the District Library Material Review Committee decision.
  27. The USBE will review the petition and determine if a procedural review is warranted, to determine whether the LEA correctly followed its library materials review policy referred to in Rule R277-628.
  28. That determination may include the USBE’s decision to have the appeal considered initially by a USBE Committee or a panel of USBE members.
  29. If the USBE determines in USBE’s procedural review that the LEA did not correctly follow its materials review policy, it will return the appeal to the LEA with direction to repeat its review process in compliance with its library materials review policy referred to in Rule R277-628.
  30. The USBE will make a final written appeal decision.
  31. USBE review decision is final

 

North Sanpete School District Request for School Review of Library Materials

(Form is located at the bottom of the policy)


 

North Sanpete School District Request for District Review of Library Materials

(Form is located at the bottom of the policy)



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