By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
After a parent submitted a list of 444 books for review and possible removal in the Elkhorn Area School District, the review process finished last week with no books banned.
District Administrator Jason Tadlock issued a news release through email Feb. 20 that began with a few bullet points up front:
- Principal reviews of the book challenge submitted in December are now complete. No book was banned as a result of the challenge.
- Elkhorn Area Middle School relocated 24 books to the high school. Sixty-four books remain or were placed on a restricted-use/parent permission list. Elkhorn Area High School placed 47 books on a parent permission list.
- Parents and guardians wishing to grant permission to their students to access books on the restricted list may do so by completing this simple form HS/MS Form.
- The board’s policy committee has created a draft of a new policy related to the challenge of materials. The draft was scheduled to go before the school board for a first reading Monday night.
That policy outlines several key changes to the challenge policy including:
- A parent must have read the entire book and explain why it should be restricted for all students, not just their own.
- Five people have to submit a challenge request for a specific item before it is reviewed.
Tadlock said after the email went out to parents and residents the policy review was a critical part of the challenge process.
“The policy committee’s recommendation has balanced the need of the district to function without significant disruption by eliminating language that would require any book to be pulled from circulation upon being challenged,” he said. “It preserved the ability of community citizens to bring forward concerns but with greater clarity as to what the expectations are when bringing up concerns over a particular book, and requiring that the view be held by more than one individual.”
For the full story, please see the print edition of the Elkhorn Independent.
