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Wednesday, Oct. 4 - The Lexington School Board was presented with new draft policies for library and instructional materials and complaint protocols last night, after a controversial decision to withdraw a book from the middle school library.
More than 20 citizens submitted public comments, either online or at the meeting, speaking both for and against the recent decision to remove “Kiss Number Eight” from Lylburn Downing’s library. A large crowd attended the meeting held in the LDMS cafeteria.
“We value the input that you have offered to us. I’ll be providing information and updates on how we got where we are, and considerations for we move forward,” said Superintendent Rebecca Walters.
“But tonight is primarily about sharing information and listening to input. We have not included any formal action items on this topic as part of tonight’s agenda.”
The draft policy on selection of instructional and library materials prohibits any sexually explicit content from either the elementary or middle school libraries, and lays out criteria for removing items from the library.
“Materials may not be removed solely for the ideas expressed therein; however, materials may be removed if they are determined not to be age appropriate for the intended audience due to content that is excessively graphic, vulgar, obscene, violent, or sexually explicit,” reads one of these criteria.
The proposed policies would also differentiate instructional materials, those used in classrooms or for school assignments, from library materials, setting a separate complaint process for each.
In either case, a complaint form would be filed with the school, then reviewed by the principal and the teacher (for instructional materials) or librarian (for library materials).
If both agree, the book or material can be removed without going through a formal review committee. If they do not, a committee will be formed to make the decision, which can be appealed to the superintendent, then the school board.
The School Board plans to vote on these policies at their November meeting. Until then, they remain open to feedback from the public, said Timothy Diette, Board chair.
For more on this story, see the Oct. 11 issue of The News-Gazette.
