HOUSTON – Spring Branch ISD has an extensive book policy on the district’s website.
The policy outlines the criteria used for selecting library and educational materials, as well as what is prohibited from being inside school libraries.
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Criteria for selecting books
According to the district, these are the criteria that must be considered when selecting books for school libraries:
- Enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration students’ varied interests, abilities, learning styles, and maturity levels.
- Stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and societal standards.
- Encourage enjoyment of reading, high-level thinking skills, support personal learning, and encourage discussion based on rational analysis.
- Develop a balanced collection presenting multiple viewpoints related to controversial issues so that students have an opportunity to develop, under guidance, skills in critical analysis [see EMB regarding instruction about controversial issues].
- Represent many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups of this state and their contributions to Texas, the nation, and the world.
- Meet high standards for artistic quality and/or literary style, authenticity, and educational suitability.
- Are age appropriate for the school level.
- Are free of obscene material as obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- Include accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources for nonfiction works.
- Have a high degree of potential user appeal and interest.
Prohibited material
Material which contain the following are prohibited from either being inside a Spring Branch ISD library or being used as an educational material:
- Visual or visually implied depictions of sexual acts or simulations of such acts.
- Explicit written descriptions of sexual acts.
- Nonexplicit written descriptions of sexual acts, except for purposes of teaching students (as may be approved by parents) to avoid and report molestation.
- Books with nudity, which will not be included in library collections for elementary and middle school students unless they are age-appropriate and educationally suitable. Examples of acceptable nudity may include the innocent depiction of a backside in a Dr. Seuss book or nudity that contributes to the artistic merit of a Michelangelo painting.
- Material adopting, supporting, or promoting gender fluidity.
A parent may also request a certain book be restricted from their child’s access.
Board actions
The district must post on it’s website a list of recommended library materials for purchase that are not currently in circulation. The list shall be available for public comment for 30 days prior to the purchase.
After the end of the 30-day period, any two individual board members may request the board to review for removal any material on the new library material order list by notifying the superintendent and the board president if the board members believe the materials may not meet the selection criteria as set forth in the policy.
The entire board will then vote on whether or not to remove the material from the new library material order list if it is determined the material does not meet the standards in the policy.
“Once removed from the order list, the material(s) cannot be returned to an order list for a period of two years from the date of removal,” the policy says.
A parent of a district student, any employee, or any district resident may also formally challenge a library material maintained in the district’s libraries on the basis that the material fails to meet the standards set forth in the policy.
You can read the full policy here.