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New book review policy proposed
At the School Board's Legislative Policy Committee meeting March 4, John Stevens (Potomac) presented a proposal for updating the county's book review policy.
According to Stevens, his overall goal is to make the policy clearer and avoid some of the problems that arose recently with the challenge of the children's book "And Tango Makes Three."
The book about a pair of male penguins that raise an egg together was originally restricted in all Loudoun elementary schools that carried it, then only at Sugarland Elementary, where the book had been challenged initially by a staff member. Finally, on March 3, the decision to restrict the book was reversed because of procedural errors that were made.
Stevens is proposing to change the policy so that any decision to withdraw a book from the school's library system would need approval from the School Board -- after the public has been able to comment during a hearing.
"Members of the community are more likely to respect a decision after being given a chance for meaningful input, even if the decision goes against that input," he said.
Also, his proposed policy would prohibit a school principal or the superintendent of schools from overriding any decision made by a committee that he or she personally appointed.
Stevens called this practice, which is allowed in the current policy, "inherently controversial."
His new plan would further define the status of a book after the decision is made to remove it from school libraries.
"Current policy allows for neither enforcement of a successful challenge in future years nor any appeal for reinstatement," he said.
Stevens said he hopes the School Board will approve a new book review policy by the end of April.
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