WHAT TO DO WHEN A
CHALLENGE OCCURS
Remain calm and
explain to the concerned individual that you
appreciate
her/his interest and that your district has a policy and procedure for
handling
such situations. Do not admit that the
book is a problem book or provide reviews.
Offer to arrange a meeting time and place for further discussion. DO NOT arrange to meet alone. If your administrator will support you,
include that person, or choose a team leader or department head who is
knowledgeable and will support you..
Contact the ISLMA Intellectual
Freedom Chair: Barbara
Fiehn or any ISLMA board member.
Bfiehn @ niu.edu
815 762 1409
Cell
815 753 8339
Office
Notify
your administrator of the challenge and of the importance of following
your
selection/challenge policy. Schedule a meeting to
discuss the policies and procedures with the concerned individual.
Review
your selection and curriculum development policies.
Find
reviews of the materials in question for your information.
These reviews may be used at a review
committee meeting or at a formal hearing should the challenge reach
that level.
Prepare
for the meeting by writing out some of the statements you plan to make.
During the
meeting the administrator/team leader/department head should
lead. Work to keep the atmosphere pleasant and
non-threatening. Let the leader explain
the selection policy and the need for a diverse
collection/curriculum. Respond when necessary about how the
materials
are important to the curriculum or how the library materials fill a
need in the
collection, how well written they are, and the educational use of the
item(s). Explain that the district
promotes a wide range of viewpoints and that the collection is
carefully
selected to be diverse. Share selection
tools if necessary.
If the
concerned individual is not satisfied at the end of the meeting,
explain the
steps involved in presenting a formal complaint.
Provide
necessary forms and offer help if it
is needed in filling out the form.
REMEMBER
– Don’t consider this a personal attack.
Remain as objective as you can and let the process work.
Hopefully, no materials will be removed, but
if they are and if procedures have been followed, you have done the
best you
can.
1. Review your board approved
selection
policy and the challenged materials policy
2. If neither policy exists, start the process of developing one
(see
resources section for guidance)
The policy should be written
and must be approved by the school board. It should pertain to all
aspects of collection development, including selection, acquisition,
and reconsideration of library materials.
While some
complaints may be resolved through discussion, formal complaints or
requests to remove materials from the library must be filed in writing.
The object of the complaint must be accurately described and the person
making the complaint must be properly identified before any action is
taken.
A review committee should be constituted from a cross-section of the
stakeholders in your community. Example: Two to three parents, an
administrator, a school board member, at least one teacher from each
building level (elementary, middle school, high school) a high school
student, a library media specialist. This committee should be detailed
in your policy. The committee should be an odd number to avoid ties in
voting.
The review procedure must provide due process. This includes timelines
for each step and appeals processes.
Include intellectual freedom statements (Library Bill of Rights,
Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights)
3. Hold a materials review committee meeting each fall to talk
about Iintellectual Freedom
and review procedures.
4. Inform administrators, teachers, and staff about the process
and Intellectual Freedom.