Shawn Price
While the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is still working on updating its complaint process for library books based on a new state law, the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. did so about a month ago.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek adopted a new policy for removal requests in late October. The board’s vote was unanimous, said Superintendent Shawn Price.
The policy states that any parent or guardian of a student in the school corporation, or a community member who resides in its boundaries, can submit a request to remove material from a school library on the grounds that it is obscene or harmful to minors as defined by Indiana Code.
“The Requester should first discuss the item of concern with the school librarian,” the policy states. “If the concern still exists, the Requester can make a request to remove the material by completing a Removal Request Form explaining why the requester believes the material is obscene or harmful to minors and submitting the same to the Director of Library Media.”
Among other things, the form asks if the individual has examined the entire resource and, if not, what sections they have reviewed. They must also cite which specific sections they see as meeting the criteria given by Indiana Code and why they believe the material lacks “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” for minors.
After receiving a completed removal request form, the superintendent will convene a review committee made up of, at a minimum, a corporation level administrator, a school librarian, a teacher, a building level administrator, and a school employee who lives within the geographic boundaries of the corporation (if this qualification is not already met by another committee member).
All committee members are to fully review the material so that it can be considered in its entirety. The group will then consider whether the work is obscene and whether it is harmful to minors, “regardless of whether the request is based on just one or the other ground for removal.” Upon completion of its review, and usually within 30 school days, the committee will provide the requester and the school board with a written recommendation.
If the requester is not satisfied by this outcome, they may submit a written appeal to the board, via the superintendent, within 10 school days.
“The Board will review the recommendation and appeal at the next public meeting,” the policy states. “If the Requester submits no appeal, the Board will make its decision based on the recommendation of the Committee. The request for removal, Committee recommendation, and any appeal will be reviewed by the Board at the next public meeting following the recommendation.”
The material in question will remain on library shelves and in circulation until a final decision is made. Additionally, the policy states that the corporation will not process requests regarding library materials that have already been subject to this procedure unless there are “extenuating circumstances.”
Prior to the new legislation, FRHC did not have a specific policy on the removal of library materials, Price said.
When asked if the school corporation has heard any recent complaints regarding library materials, he replied that they have not received any “formalized complaints or removal requests.”
He added that while he can’t speak on behalf of principals, he is not aware of any informal requests either.
In addition to requiring schools to establish a formal complaint and appeal process, the new law also requires school libraries to post a catalog of their available materials on the school’s website and make a hard copy list available upon request.
When asked about this component, Price replied, “We’ve had that up since the summer. So each of our school websites have a database with our available selections for the libraries.”
It’s his understanding that these were already in existence prior to the new law, but there was some work done to make them more accessible.
