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Serious question, my kid's school pulled 'The Absolutely True Diary' in 2 weeks and I want to know who actually decides that
I sat in the board meeting in Springfield last Tuesday when they pulled it from the 8th grade shelf after a handful of parents filed complaints, and what got me was that nobody could tell me the actual review process, just that it was 'handled.' I asked for the complaint forms in writing and got told they'd 'look into it,' so I filed a public records request the next morning and found out there were only 4 complaints total. Who else has gone through the records request route with their district, and did you get anything useful back?
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the_wesley16h ago
File the records request for the complaint forms themselves, not just the count, and ask for the full review policy by name. Most districts have a written policy that spells out who reviews a challenge and how long it takes, and they have to hand it over if it exists. Ask for emails and notes between staff and board members about the book too, since that's usually where the real decision shows up. In my district the policy said a committee of parents, teachers and a librarian had to meet, and none of that ever happened, so the records made the whole thing easy to challenge. Give them a specific date range and the exact book title or they'll drag it out. Four complaints out of a whole school is worth putting in front of the board, because it shows the pull wasn't about broad parent concern.
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