PARENT assistance with student library book selection

Parent involvement & options

We encourage families to be involved in the learning process:

• Parents/Guardians are a partner with LISD staff and if you have questions or concerns regarding instructional resources, you can request a conference with your child’s teacher.  
• Parents/Guardians may have access to curricular resources through the student LISD Lhub login, student Canvas courses, student iPad and lisd.net/learning for more information. Library books can be perused through the Destiny catalog online based on a child's enrolled school. The best way to access Destiny is by going to lhub.lisd.net and clicking on the Destiny icon.  Your child's username and password will allow you to browse your campus library catalog. 
• If appropriate, parents/guardians may request an alternative instructional resource to be used in place of an instructional resource with which you do not agree. (EF Local). This, however, does not mean that a student can be excused from the subject or course requirements in its entirety.
• Parents/Guardians are entitled to review all teaching materials, instructional materials, and other teaching aids used in the classroom of the parent’s child and to review each test administered to the child after the test is administered. A district shall make teaching materials and tests readily available for parental review and may specify reasonable hours for such review.
• Parents/Guardians can communicate their requests with the librarian, teacher and campus administration. 
• Parents are a partner with the child’s school when selecting books from the campus library.  
• Parents/Guardians may opt their child out of accessing the classroom library.
• Parents/Guardians can send a written request to a child’s teacher to communicate specific requests or to opt out of access to the classroom library.

Book Challenge/RECONSIDERATION STEPS

Follow these steps in order to request a formal review for instructional reconsideration:

Notify your campus principal if you have a complaint about the appropriateness of an instructional resource, we shall try to resolve the matter informally using the following procedure: 

1. The principal or designee shall explain the school’s selection process, the criteria for selection, and the qualifications of the professional staff who selected the questioned resource. 
2. The principal or designee shall explain the intended educational purpose of the resource and any additional information regarding its use. 
3. If appropriate, the principal or designee may offer a concerned parent an alternative instructional resource to be used by that parent’s child in place of the challenged resource. 
4. If the complainant wishes to make a formal challenge, the principal or designee shall provide the complainant a copy of EF Local policy and our LISD form to request a formal reconsideration of the resource. 

• A complainant may raise an objection to an instructional resource used in a school’s educational program, despite the fact that the professional staff selecting the resources were qualified to make the selection, followed the proper procedure, and adhered to the objectives and criteria for instructional resources set out in school board policy.
• A parent’s ability to exercise control over reading, listening, or viewing matter extends only to his or her own child.
• Complainant must have read the resource in its entirety and describe the content to which they object. Only 1 resource per complainant will be reviewed at a time. 
• Access to a challenged resource shall not be restricted during the reconsideration process, except the District may deny access to a child if requested by the child’s parent.

The major criterion for the final decision on challenged resources is the appropriateness of the resource for its intended educational use. No challenged instructional resource shall be removed solely because of the ideas expressed therein.