File: KEC - Public Concerns/Complaints about Instructional Resources

The Board has approved principles and procedures governing the selection of all instructional materials, including textbooks and supplementary materials, and library/media center materials.

However, the Board wishes to amplify its principles on the review of books and other materials that present controversial topics or that may be challenged for other reasons.

Challenges of instructional materials in classrooms or libraries/media centers are typically made for one of three basic reasons: religion, ideology or profanity/obscenity. Board expectations regarding these categories shall be as follows:

1.  Religion - Factual, unbiased materials concerning all major religions have a place in school libraries/media centers and in classroom instruction.

2.  Ideologies - Libraries/media centers should make available a balanced collection of primary and factual material with various ideologies or philosophies that exert or have exerted a strong force, either favorably or unfavorably, in government, current events, politics, education and other phases of life. These materials should be appropriate to the grade levels at the school where the library/media center materials are located and should be made available with no thought toward swaying a reader´s judgment.

3.  Profanity/obscenity - Materials shall be subjected to a test of literary merit by media specialists and teachers who will take into consideration the maturity of students and the standards of the community.

Criticism of a book or other materials used in schools may be expected from time to time. The Board shall not permit any individual or group to exercise censorship over instructional materials and library collections but recognizes that, at times, a reevaluation of certain materials may be desirable.

1. The Board recognizes the right of an individual parent/guardian to request that their child not use an instructional classroom material or not have access to a given library/media center material. When a parent/guardian requests that their child not use an instructional classroom material, the Board encourages these concerns be resolved informally between the parent/guardian and the teacher, librarian/media specialist, and/or school administrator who should attempt to resolve the situation, perhaps by arranging for the use of alternative materials meeting essentially the same instructional purpose. This does not apply, however, to basic program texts and materials that the Board has adopted. When a parent/guardian requests that their child not have access to a given library/media center material, the teacher, librarian/media specialist, and/or school administrator should work directly with the parent/guardian to determine appropriate accommodations to the request

An individual who has standing, as defined in KEC-R, may engage in the formal complaint process, which generally proceeds as follows:

1. The person who objects to the book or other material shall be asked to file a formal complaint using form KEC-E and in accordance with the procedures outlined in KEC-R.

2. Following receipt of the formal complaint, the superintendent shall provide for a reevaluation of the material in question.

3. The reevaluation shall be based on the Board´s expectations offered above as well as the principles governing the selection of all instructional materials. Additionally, the Board wishes to emphasize that:

a. Materials shall not be excluded because of the author's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political stances, or views thereof.

b. The value of any book or other material shall be judged as a whole, taking into account the purpose of the material rather than individual, isolated expressions or incidents in the work.

4. The superintendent or designee shall review the complaint and reevaluation and shall render a decision in the matter. Should the complainant find the solution to be unsatisfactory, the complainant may appeal the decision to the Board in accordance with KEC-R.

In summary, the Board assumes final responsibility for all instructional and library resources and materials it makes available to students and holds its professional staff accountable for their proper selection. The Board also recognizes the rights of parents/guardians with respect to controversial materials used by their children. It will provide for the reevaluation of materials in library collections upon formal request in accordance with the procedures outlined in KEC-R.

Adopted: March 04, 2008

Revised: December 12, 2023

CROSS REF:    IJ, Instructional Resources and Materials

IJNDA , Online Instruction

IJNDAB, Instruction through Online Courses