ERIC Number: EJ752597
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Sep-27
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0277-4232
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Challenged
Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy
Education Week, v26 n5 p26-28 Sep 2006
The work of librarians can be a lifeline to youths dealing with difficult personal issues, such as family strife, growing up, and sexuality. This paper presents an issue where school library books at Fayetteville High School are questioned because their books are too sexually explicit or mature for teenagers. In the midst of intense media coverage and a counter-campaign by parents and students who pushed for open access to the materials, district officials concluded that their own procedures for handling book challenges were flawed. District administrators and library media specialists have crafted sounder, more structured guidelines for addressing parents' concerns over library collections and instructional materials. After months of work and 15 drafts, the district came up with a new policy that defines a step-by-step process for parents to follow to challenge library materials, where parents must first read the entire book, discuss it with a teacher or librarian, and outline their concerns in a written "request for reconsideration." If the principal cannot resolve the parent's concerns, the complaint works its way through the district administration, and could eventually be turned over to a review committee selected by the superintendent. District officials have worked to train librarians and school principals to handle initial discussions with parents before the complaint proceeds up the district hierarchy.
Descriptors: Library Materials, Instructional Materials, Sexuality, Principals, News Reporting, Media Specialists, Librarians, School Libraries, Adolescents, Guidelines, School Districts
Editorial Projects in Education. 6935 Arlington Road Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814-5233. Tel: 800-346-1834; Tel: 301-280-3100; e-mail: customercare@epe.org; Web site: http://www.edweek.org/info/about/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arkansas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A