FILE:  IFAB

Cf:  IFAA

 

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS SELECTION AND ADOPTION

 

 

The St. Martin Parish School Board encourages teachers to discuss their instructional supply needs with their librarian, principal, or principal's designee.  The principal and teachers will determine an appropriate list of supplemental material based on quality, reputation and significance of author, readability and appeal, format and price.

 

  1. Statement of Objectives

    1. The main objective of the school library is to implement, enrich, and support the curriculum of the school.  It is also an objective of the school library to meet the needs of the individual students by providing a wide range of materials on all levels of difficulty, with diversity of appeal and the presentation of many points of view.

    2. It is the responsibility of the school library to abide by the School Library Bill of Rights written by the American Association of School Librarians. Therefore, those stated objectives will be followed.  The School Library Bill of Rights asserts that the responsibility of the school library media center is:

       

      (1)

      To provide a comprehensive collection of instructional materials selected in compliance with basic, written selection principles, and to provide maximum access­ibility to these materials.

       

      (2)

      To provide materials that will support the curriculum, taking into consideration the individual's needs, and the varied interests, abilities, socio-economic back­grounds, and maturity levels of the students served.

       

      (3)

      To provide materials for teachers and students that will encourage growth in knowledge, and that will develop literary, cultural, and aesthetic appreciation, and ethical standards.

       

      (4)

      To provide materials which reflect the ideas and beliefs of religious, social, political, historical, and ethnic groups and their contribution to the American and world heritage and culture, thereby enabling students to develop an intellectual integrity in forming judgments.

       

      (5)

      To provide a written statement, approved by the local boards of education, of the procedures for meeting the challenge of censorship of materials in school library media centers.

       

      (6)

      To provide qualified professional personnel to serve teachers and students.

 

  1. The selection of materials involves many people:  principals, teachers, supervisors, parents, students and the librarians.  The responsibility for selection shall be shared by the teachers and librarians in the school.  The responsibility for coordinating the selection of materials and making the recommendations for purchase rests with the professionally trained librarian.
     

  2. Materials selected shall be based on needs according to the knowledge of the school curriculum, knowledge of individual students, and the existing collection. Requests from faculty and students are con­sidered.  Materials are considered on the basis of:
     

    • overall purpose

    • timeliness

    • importance of subject matter

    • quality of writing

    • reading level and popular appeal

    • authority

    • reputation of publisher and/or author

    • format and price

 

  1. The following are procedures for selection:

    1. In evaluating materials, the librarian shall consult reputable and professionally prepared selection aids; the librarian shall also consult teachers from all departments and all grades.
       

    2. Gifts shall also be judged by basic selection standards or by a faculty selection committee.
       

    3. Multiple copies shall be purchased as needed.
       

    4. Worn or lost items shall be replaced periodically if they have proved their worth.

     

  1. In order to choose materials (books, periodicals, newspapers, and audio-visual materials) wisely, the librarian should understand what is to be taught, in what detail and to whom it is to be taught and what results are supposed to be.  The following criteria will be followed:

     

    1. Fiction materials should be stimulating to one's imagination, and not intended to persuade the reader to any particular point of view.  They should be based on an awareness of the world today, appealing to modern youth with real and vital characters. They should interpret life truly.
       

    2. Nonfiction materials should be up-to-date, authoritative, clearly presented for students at their level, useful, and important to the existing collection.
       

    3. Louisiana materials should be essential and appropriate for the development of Louisiana studies.
       

    4. Science materials must be up-to-date and accurate, using vocabulary and concepts at the user's level.
       

    5. Social studies materials should be reliable, unbiased and factual.
       

    6. Literature materials should be of high quality and appropriate style.
       

    7. Foreign language materials are purchased strictly as supplements to the courses and should be appropriate to the student's level of achievement.
       

    8. Library materials presenting accents on sex should be subjected to a stern test of literary merit and reality by the librarian, who shall take into consideration the library patrons.  Judgment should be based on the total effect of the piece of material and not on the presence of words, phrases, or situations which in themselves might seem objectionable.  Also, the decision should be made on the basis of whether the material presents life in its true proportion, and whether the material is of literary value. Factual material of an educational nature on the level of the patron should be included in the library collection.
       

    9. In choosing  paperbacks the same basic principles are used as in selecting books with hardcovers and other materials of the same subject.
       

    10. Periodicals and newspapers are rich resources necessary for the support of the curriculum, and for the recreational needs of the students, therefore, they are selected based on needs and interests.
       

    11. Factual unbiased material which represents all major religions and denominations as adequately as possible should be included in the library collection.

 

SELECTION AND USE OF AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS

 

The primary objective in using audio/visual materials is to implement, enrich, and support the instructional program of the school.  All such material should be shown with a purpose and relate specifically to stated goals and objectives of a given lesson.

 

The School Board recognizes that the teachers have the primary responsibility for the selection and use of audio/visual materials in the classroom.  In exercising responsible judgment and selecting appropriate materials for use from among the array of such materials available, teachers should assure that the materials appropriately implement or enrich the course of study and relate to the stated objectives of the lesson and that the content appropriate to the age level of the students.

 

All audio-visual material shall be previewed by the teacher before use with students.  This includes any audio-visual material brought in from outside sources (or presenters) for presentation to students.  Use of any audio-visual materials shall be documented in lesson plans, including title and type of audio-visual, and must directly relate to objectives of the lesson.

 

No member of any school staff shall use the VCR and/or TV for his/her own recreation during the school day.  Use of the VCR and/or the TV shall be limited to classrooms, libraries, and auditoriums (or large meeting areas) and only in compliance with this policy.

 

The implementation of this policy shall be monitored by the building principal.  Violation of this policy shall result in a disciplinary hearing including the employee and principal and/or Superintendent.

 

PROCEDURE FOR REEVALUATION OF MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION

 

Criticism or objection to information presented in textbooks, library books, and other materials of instruction shall be handled as follows:

 

  1. Materials or texts to which objection has been raised may not be withdrawn officially or removed at the school level without prior approval from the Office of the Superintendent.
     

  2. Criticisms of, or objections to, instructional materials shall be taken up, initially, with the principal of the school involved and with the teacher using the materials.  The person objecting to the materials used shall complete the Request for Reconsideration of Materials of Instruction to present to the principal during their discussion.  If the complainant still finds the materials in question to be objectionable, he/she shall forward the completed form to the Office of the Superintendent for referral to the committee designated by the Superintendent to review such requests.  
     

  3. Members of the committee designated by the Superintendent for evaluation of the materials in question shall be composed of administrative and faculty members, some of which shall teach/work in the academic area of the materials in question.  The Superintendent may appoint any other person to the committee as he/she deems appropriate.
                           

  4. The reevaluation shall be handled within a reasonable time period and the Superintendent and/or his/her designee shall notify the interested citizen, in writing, of the disposition of the request.
     

  5. All meetings of the committee shall be held in public, with the date and time of each meeting published at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of such meeting.
     

  6. If not satisfied with the decision, the citizen may appeal to the School Board for a review of the matter and a final decision, by submitting a request in writing to the Superintendent for a place on the agenda of the next Board meeting, in accordance with Board policy.

 

Ref:     Constitution of Louisiana, Art. VIII, Sec. 13

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81

 

St. Martin Parish School Board