Step 1:

Library Materials Informal Challenge Process

When the district or a campus receives an objection to the appropriateness of a library material, the appropriate librarian or administrator shall try to resolve the matter informally using the following procedure:

1. The principal or designee shall explain the school’s selection process, the criteria for selection, and the qualifications of the professional staff who selected the questioned resource. School librarians undergo yearly training and review NBISD Board policies EFB Legal & EFB Local and abide by the following practices: NBISD Library Book Selection.

2. The principal or designee shall explain the intended educational purpose of the resource and any additional information regarding its use.

3. The principal or designee shares the process and options for flagging or adding a note to their student’s file when checking out library materials in the future.

4. If appropriate, the principal or designee may offer a concerned parent an alternative library material(s) to be used by that parent’s child in place of the challenged resource.

Step 2:

Library Materials Formal Challenge Process

If the complainant wishes to make a formal challenge, the principal or designee shall make available to the individual a copy of policy (EFB Local) and the form to request a formal challenge of the library material. Library Materials Challenge Form

Below are the procedures and timelines of the Formal Challenge Process.

A. Library Materials Challenge Committee Members

i. Superintendent will assign a district or campus administrator as facilitator as a non voting member.

ii. 1 Librarian from a different campus where the challenge initiated as a voting member or if initiated at district level a campus librarian will be appointed representing the school level of the book, elementary or secondary, as a voting member.

iii. 1 Classroom teacher representing the school level of the book, elementary or secondary, as a voting member.

iv. 3 Parents/Guardians of NBISD students who did not submit the complaint as voting members.

B. Timelines

i. Complainant submits the completed Library Materials Challenge Form to NBISD through methods outlined in the form instructions.

ii. The district shall provide a copy of the challenge to the NBISD library materials challenge committee, the school librarian, superintendent, and the Board.

iii. The district will restrict access to the challenged material during the challenge process.

iv. The district will convene a review committee in accordance with criteria established by the district to ensure a thorough and fair process with reasonable timeframes. A reasonable timeframe will take into account the following from EFB Legal:

• • The time necessary to convene a committee to meet and review the item;
    
  • Flexibility that may be necessary depending on the number of pending reconsideration requests; and
  • Other factors relevant to a fair and consistent process, including informing the requester on the progress of the review in a timely fashion;

C. Holding the Meeting

i. The district shall provide members of the library materials challenge committee the relevant materials to review. All members of the committee shall review the challenged material in its entirety.

ii. As soon as reasonably possible, the committee shall meet and determine whether the challenged library material in its entirety complies with SB 13, NBISD Policy EFB Local, the principles of selection set out in and in the NBISD Collection Development Guidelines, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission standards.

iii. The committee shall review the requested remedy listed on the Library Materials Challenge Form.

iv. In addition to compliance with state law and board policy EFB Local, a criterion for the final decision on challenged library materials is the appropriateness of the material for its intended use. No challenged library material shall be removed solely because of the ideas expressed in the library material or the personal background of the library material’s author or the personal background of the characters in the material.

D. After the Meeting (Writing the Response)

i. The committee shall prepare a written report of its findings.

ii. The Superintendent, the school librarian, the individual submitting the challenge, and any other appropriate staff shall receive a copy of the committee’s report.

(If needed) Appeal

An individual who submitted a challenge may appeal the decision of the library materials challenge committee to the Board. The individual must provide the notice of appeal in accordance with administrative procedures.  (DGBA Local, FNG Local, or GF Local), The Board shall hear the appeal and render a decision in accordance with the timelines established in law.