Carroll Community School District (CCSD) Superintendent Dr. Casey Berlau and Board President Cindy Johnson traveled to the Capitol on Monday to participate in a House Oversight Committee hearing on graphic content in school libraries and curriculum. In addition to the CCSD officials, representatives from the West Des Moines, Waukee, Carlisle, Urbandale, and Johnston school districts were called to testify. The issue at hand was when and how schools handle objections to materials in the library or curriculum. The CCSD officials were not questioned during Monday’s hearing, but Berlau says they were ready to outline the school’s policy for materials reconsideration.
Material objection procedures are nearly identical at schools throughout the state. A parent or stakeholder directly takes their concern to the teacher or librarian, and the issue is elevated to a reconsideration committee if the complainant is unsatisfied with the result. That committee then makes a recommendation to the board of education for final approval. In CCSD’s case, 10 books, including “Sold” by Patricia McCormick and “Red Hood” by Elana Arnold, were objected to for their perceived graphic content. All books that have been reviewed by the committee and voted on by the board so far have remained available at the school. Like other school officials who testified at Monday’s hearing, Berlau says these issues are challenging as they are asked to consider the morals of a very diverse group of students, families, and stakeholders.
Berlau says the material reconsideration policy is not used often, so one of the benefits of this latest round of reviews is the board’s ability to simplify the process now that they’ve had some experience.
The school board has only a few of the 10 books initially listed left to review and vote on, and that process should conclude in the next several months.
