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Updated book review policy heads to School Board
An updated version of the county school system's policy governing book challenges was finalized April 2 and will go to the School Board for approval in early May.
The new policy was created as a response to the recent controversy surrounding “And Tango Makes Three,” a children's book about a same-sex penguin couple. That book was restricted in Loudoun public elementary schools after a complaint about its subject matter.
The book was later returned to shelves after procedural errors were found in the way the book review process took place.
Members of the School Board's Legislative Policy Review Committee decided some changes should be made to the book review policy to ensure the same problem would not happen again.
The updated policy, proposed by School Board Chairman Robert DuPree (Dulles) and members Bob Ohneiser (Broad Run) and Thomas Reed (At large), includes mostly minor changes from the old policy, last updated in 1993.
Most of the changes deal with the time line of procedures for dealing with challenged materials.
One important update is a requirement that when a decision is made to pull any book from the Loudoun County Public Schools library system, the public is notified on the Loudoun County Public Schools Web site.
“This provides for the public to be able to come speak at the next School Board meeting,” said School Board member John Stevens, chair of the Legislative Policy Review Committee.
The new policy also includes a requirement for the superintendent to notify members of the School Board of his decision to withdraw or restrict any challenged material within 15 days.
Upon written request of at least three members of the board within 30 days of the receipt of this notice, the board chairman would appoint three members to review the book and issue a final decision on its status.
Stevens said overall, the new policy should solve most of the problems that occurred with the challenge of “And Tango Makes Three.”
“It makes sure that no book is pulled district-wide without the School Board reviewing it and without the public being made aware,” he said. “That is a great big improvement and things will definitely be better going forward.”
The updated book review policy will be presented at the School Board meeting April 22. It will then go to a vote of the entire School Board early next month.
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com.
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