6:260AP1 Instruction
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Administrative Procedure � Requests for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials

I.  Request for Informal Reconsideration

Parents who have questions or concerns regarding instructional materials are encouraged to meet informally with their child’s teacher to resolve such issues.  If concerns remain, parents should complete a Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials Form, available in each school’s office.

II. Request for Formal Reconsideration

Each school will keep on hand and make available Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials forms. All formal objections to instructional materials must be made on these forms.  The Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials form shall be signed by the questioner and filed with the Building Principal.  The Building Principal shall forward the form to the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability.

A. Procedures for Formal Review

  • 1. Upon receipt of a Request for formal Reconsideration of an Instructional Material, the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning, and Accountability shall:
    • a. Appoint an ad-hoc reconsideration committee.  The Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability shall serve as the chairperson.  In addition to the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability, the committee shall consist of one parent (not the parent submitting the request for reconsideration) and at least 3 of the following staff members:
  • One teacher, assigned to the same grade level in which the instructional material in question is utilized;
  • One teacher assigned to teach the same or similar subject matter in which the instructional material in question is utilized;
  • One library information teacher; and
  • A Building Principal or Assistant Principal.

 

b.   Convene a meeting to review the instructional material at issue within 15 school days after the formal written complaint is filed with the Building Principal.

2.   Review Process

The reconsideration committee shall examine the challenged instructional material.  The committee shall evaluate the material’s professional acceptance by:

      a.   reading critical reviews of the resource,

      b.   considering the value of the resource in the context of the educational program, and;

      c.   judging whether it conforms to the principles of selection   outlined in the District’s policies and procedures regarding selection of instructional materials. 

            If, after employing these methods of review, the committee determines that further evaluation of the instructional material is necessary, the committee may choose to consult other members of the District’s professional staff and/or community persons with related knowledge.  The major criterion for the final decision is the appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use.

 

            B.         Report of the Reconsideration Committee

The reconsideration committee shall issue a formal report explaining its findings regarding the suitability of the instructional material for its intended purpose.  The report shall include the methods of review employed by the committee in its review of the challenged instructional material, as well as a clear statement of the committee’s findings regarding the instructional material.  The report shall be sent to the person who submitted the original request for reconsideration, and forwarded to the teacher who utilized the questioned instructional material, the teacher’s principal, and the Superintendent.  The Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Accountability shall maintain a copy of the report.

            C.         Appeal Procedures

                        If the person who submitted the original request for review disagrees with the reconsideration committee’s findings regarding the instructional material in question, he/she must submit a request for review of the committee’s determination with the Board of Education, in writing, within 5 school days of his/her receipt of the committee’s report.  The request for review to the Board of Education must include a clear statement of the individual’s disagreement with the committee’s report.  The Board of Education shall respond to this request for review in writing, within 15 school days of its receipt of the request.  The decision of the Board of Education shall be final.

 

Reviewed: February 27, 2006
Adopted: May 15, 2006
Revisions Adopted: September 15, 2008