CHALLENGED MATERIALS POLICY: Although materials are carefully selected, there can arise differences of opinion regarding suitable

materials. Parents requesting that material be withdrawn from or who wish to restrict their child from checking out any materials can and should let the librarian or supporting staff know. Challenged materials inquiries will be processed in accordance with the Librarys Challenged Materials Policy Guidelines for Reconsideration: Reconsideration Procedures Any resident of the City of or any employee of the Public Schools may challenge resources housed in a schools Library Media Center on the basis of appropriateness. I. Informal Reconsideration Occasional objections to material may be voiced by the public despite the qualifications of the school librarian making the selection for the school library, and the care taken in the selection process. Any such objection should be directed to the school librarian, who can provide information regarding the selection and use of the material and explain the philosophy and goals of the school library media center and program. If the objection cannot be resolved at this level and the individual wishes to make a formal complaint, the school librarian will notify the principal. A packet of materials will be forwarded to the complainant, which includes a dated cover letter, a copy of the districts materials selection policy, and a reconsideration request form. If no action is taken within a two week period by the objecting party, the matter will be considered closed. Challenged material will remain in use during the reconsideration period, and cannot be removed except upon action by the school librarian, a Reconsideration Committee, the Superintendent, or formal action of the School Committee. A parent or guardian filing a formal request for reconsideration may ask that access to challenged materials be denied to his/her child or children. II. Formal Reconsideration at the School Level At the school level, reconsideration requests will be heard by the Reconsideration Committee, a standing committee constituted each September to serve for that school year. The Reconsideration Committee will be chaired by the principal and will consist of school librarian, a member of the teaching staff, a member of the School Council, and another parent. At the high school level, a student also may serve as part of the Reconsideration Committee. At the time of composition, the Reconsideration Committee will meet to learn about the issues and process involved in a reconsideration. When a signed and completed reconsideration request form is received by a principal, he/she will immediately notify members of the Reconsideration Committee and the Executive Director for Curriculum Development. A meeting of the Reconsideration Committee will be scheduled to occur within three (3) weeks of the date of submission of the request for reconsideration form and the complainant will be notified of the date and time of such meeting. Packets including copies of the reconsideration request form,

bibliographic data on the challenged material, and professional reviews or other relevant information about the challenged material will be forwarded to Reconsideration Committee members as soon as possible by the library media specialist. At the scheduled meeting, the complainant will have the right to address the Reconsideration Committee. After the meeting, the Reconsideration Committee will consider the work as a whole, survey review literature, and assess the merits of the work in the context of a Library Media Center before making a decision. The Reconsideration Committee will issue a written report to the principal explaining the reasons for their decision to remove or to retain the work in question. If any members of the Reconsideration Committee disagree with the decision of the majority of committee members, then the report should include a section explaining the dissenting views. A decision of the Reconsideration Committee to sustain a challenge shall not necessarily be interpreted as a judgment of irresponsibility by the professionals involved in the original selection of the material. The principal will notify the complainant of the Reconsideration Committees decision. The reconsideration request form that is mentioned in this policy is included on the following page:

Form: Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Author: _____________________________________________________ Title: _______________________________________________________ Publisher or Distributor: ________________________________________ Request Initiated by: ___________________________________________ Address: _______________________________ Telephone: ___________ City: ____________________________ Zip code: ___________________ Request represents _____Individual _____Organization If organization, please list name __________________________ 1. Have you read or viewed the entire work? _______________ If not, what parts? 2. To what in the material do you object? Please be specific: cite pages or sections. 3. What good or valuable features do you find in the material? 4. What do you believe is the theme of this work: What do you feel might be the result of reading or viewing this material? Have you read any reviews of this material? ________________________ If yes, specify Do you think this material would be more appropriate for a different age group? ________ Please explain: What would you like the library to do about this material? Can you recommend other material that would convey as valuable a picture and/or perspective of the subject treated? __________ If yes, please specify:

Date: _________________ Signature: ___________________________

This challenged materials policy contains the procedures for handling material complaints. It has been taken largely from Cambridge Public Schools Selection Policy for School Library Media Center Collections, which was adopted in September of 2002. This particular challenged materials policy was chosen because of the amount of detail that is given to the reconsideration of materials. The ALA states that, Occasional objections to instructional materials will be made despite the quality of the selection process; therefore, the procedure for handling reconsideration of challenged materials in response to questions concerning their appropriateness should be stated. Among the list of suggested procedures to observe, the ALA states that complaints should be attempted to be reconciled informally before formally. This selection policy goes into step-by-step detail about the steps to take should a serious complaint be made. The opening paragraph of the challenged materials policy and the reconsideration request form was taken from the Sherman Library and adopted and modified to fit into a school librarys policy handbook. The Sherman Library created its procedure and accompanying forms in 2009. The opening paragraph of the policy is important because patrons, both students and parents, can feel uncomfortable about the materials in a library for a number of reasons. It is important to make the complainer feel comfortable. As discussed in class, the challenged materials policy does not show any outward biases and welcomes all patrons to submit challenges and complaints if they truly feel that material is offensive or inappropriate. Should challenges arise, it is important that they be treated fairly and in a consistent manner. While libraries and librarians must defend access and the freedom to read, it is also important that library collections be curated with care. It is the responsibility of the librarian to monitor books and perhaps occasionally restrict access, either to certain patrons or all patrons, of materials. The Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations, and Procedures Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services, and Facilities notes that: Policies, procedures, or regulations that may result in denying, restricting, or creating physical or economic barriers to access to the librarys public forum must be based on a compelling government interest. However, library governing authorities may place reasonable and narrowly drawn restrictions on the time, place, or manner of access to library resources, services, or facilities, provided that such restrictions are not based upon arbitrary distinctions between individuals or classes of individuals. The National Coalition Against Censorship argues that, The outcome of censorship challenges most often depends on the extent of support for free speech and academic freedom principles by school administrators, and the extent to which the school administration stands by their facultys exercise of professional judgment. Again, it must be noted that it is the librarians job to defend students right to read any and all materials, and for this reason, the school librarians have been included in book challenges.

Works Cited Cambridge School Committee. "Selection Policy for School Library Media Center Collections." 24 Sept. 2004. 16 Sept. 2013 <http://www3.cpsd.us/media/theme/ProCambridge/network/10516/media/CPS%20Redesign/documents/Policies/Selection_Libra ryMedia.pdf?rev=0>. Challenged Materials Policy. Publication. 16 Sept. 2009. Sherman Library. 2 Oct. 2013 <http://shermanlibrary.net/Challenged%20Materials%20Policy.pdf>. Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations, and Procedures Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services, and Facilities. Publication. 19 Jan. 2005. <http://www.ifmanual.org/devimppolguide>. First Amendment in Schools Toolkit. Publication. National Coalition Against Censorship. 2 Oct. 2013 <http://www.ncac.org/First-Amendment-in-Schools-Teachers>.