Members of the Ankeny Community School District community may object to instructional materials, including supplementary classroom materials, and content accessible from district-owned technology devices, used in the district and ask for their use to be reconsidered. The superintendent/designee shall determine administrative regulations for reconsideration of instructional materials.

Legal Reference:
Iowa Code §§ 279.8; 280.3, .14; 301; 728.1.
281 I.A.C. 12.3(12).

Cross Reference:
ALA’s “Library Bill of Rights”

Approved:
June 7, 1976

Reviewed:
March 11, 2009
November 17, 2014
March 19, 2018
February 18, 2019
June 16, 2022
October 20, 2022

Revised:
June 15, 2009
November 17, 2014
March 19, 2018
February 18, 2019
July 25, 2022
November 21, 2022

R.R. for Policy #605.02

The district shall follow this process for handling reconsideration of challenged instructional materials:

1. The staff member(s) using the challenged instructional material will listen to the concerns of the individual making the complaint (“Complainant”), inform the Complainant of the selection process, selection procedure, criteria to be met by the instructional materials, purpose and role of the objected material in the education program, and context for the use of the materials, and qualifications of those person(s) selecting the material. The staff member will attempt to resolve the situation informally.

2. If an informal resolution cannot be reached and the Complainant is a student and/or the parent/guardian of a student(s) who would ordinarily be expected to engage with the material, the teacher will provide the relevant student(s) with alternative materials and will not require the student to participate in lessons and/or activities involving the challenged materials during the challenge process if his/her parent/guardian so requests. Unless the Review Committee requests temporary removal for unusual circumstances, challenged materials will be used during the reconsideration process with students other than the student(s) involved in the challenge (if their parent/guardian has requested alternative materials).

3. If steps 1 and 2 do not result in satisfaction for the Complainant and/or if the request is to remove the materials from the curriculum entirely, the teacher with whom the Complainant has been working will request that the complainant submit a formal “Reconsideration Request Form” to the relevant principal. Electronic copies of this form shall be available through the district website; the employee with whom the Complainant is working may print and deliver a hard copy of the form to the Complainant at the Complainant’s express request. The staff member will inform his/her building principal that this request has been made of the Complainant. The employee with whom the Complainant has been working will offer to assist the Complainant in completing the form, but if a Complainant refuses to complete the form, the complaint will be deemed invalid and no further action taken.

4. Within ten (10) calendar days of receipt of the completed Reconsideration Request Form, the principal will notify the Assistant Superintendent responsible for curriculum and instruction and will appoint an ad hoc committee (“Review Committee”) to review the challenged material. The Review Committee will be comprised of another principal, a content specialist in the content area of the challenged material, two teachers (including a member from the grade level and/or department where the challenged instructional materials are being used), three community residents, and two 10th – 12th grade students whose parents have consented to their participation in the review. The Director of Curriculum and Innovation will facilitate the committee. The Complainant may present to the committee (if the Complainant so requests), but shall not be a member of the committee.

The committee may be subject to applicable open meetings and public records laws. Notice of the committee meeting shall be made public through appropriate communication methods as required by law.

5. The Review Committee will take the following steps after receiving the challenged materials form:

• Set a date for completion of the review process
• Read, view, and/or listen to the material in its entirety,
• Listen to the Complainant’s presentation (if the Complainant requests the opportunity to make a presentation),
• Check the general acceptance of the material by reading reviews and consulting recommended lists, and
• Determine the extent to which the material supports the curriculum

6. The Review Committee will present one of the following recommendations to the Complainant and the Assistant Superintendent responsible for curriculum and instruction, within (ten) 10 calendar days:
(1) retain the material,
(2) withdraw all or part of the material, or
(3) limit the educational use of the challenged material.

The sole criterion for the final recommendation is the appropriateness of the material for its intended educational use. The Review Committee shall forward its written recommendation and justification to the superintendent, the Complainant, and the appropriate attendance centers.

7. Within ten (10) calendar days of the Review Committee’s decision, the Complainant may file an appeal with the Assistant Superintendent responsible for curriculum and instruction.

8. Within ten (10) calendar days of receipt of an appeal, the Assistant Superintendent responsible for curriculum and instruction will convene the School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) to consider and review the recommendation received from the Review Committee. The absence of a quorum of the SIAC shall not invalidate any recommendations made by SIAC.

9. The School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) will present one of the following recommendations to the superintendent/designee in a timely manner:
(1) retain the material,
(2) withdraw all or part of the material, or
(3) limit the educational use of the challenged material.

10. The superintendent will review SIAC’s recommendation and respond to the Review Committee facilitator, the Assistant Superintendent responsible for curriculum and instruction, and the Complainant within fifteen (15) calendar days. A decision will be rendered to:
(1) retain the material,
(2) withdraw all or part of the material, or
(3) limit the educational use of the challenged material.

11. Following the superintendent’s decision, the Complainant or Review Committee facilitator may appeal the decision to the board for review. The board will hear the appeal within one month following the filing of the appeal. Following the appeal hearing, the board will decide whether to sustain, modify, or overrule the superintendent’s decision. The board will communicate its decision to the Complainant.

12. Pursuant to state law, any person dissatisfied with the decision of the board may appeal to the Iowa Department of Education.

13. Under unusual circumstances, the board may waive the timelines as stated. The superintendent/designee shall keep the Complainant informed of the status of the reconsideration request throughout the reconsideration process. The Complainant and known interested parties shall be given appropriate notice of meetings as required by law. A recommendation to sustain a challenge shall not, on its face, be interpreted as a judgment of irresponsibility on the part of any of the individuals involved in the original selection or use of the material.

The superintendent/designee shall keep the Complainant informed of the status of the reconsideration request throughout the reconsideration process. The Complainant and known interested parties shall be given appropriate notice of meetings as required by law.

A recommendation to sustain a challenge shall not, on its face, be interpreted as a judgment of irresponsibility on the part of any of the individuals involved in the original selection or use of the material.