Policy Group
2000 Instruction
Jerome Joint School District No. 261
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION 2530
Learning Materials Review & Reconsideration
Parents/guardians have the right to guide the reading, viewing, and listening of their own children but must
likewise give the same right to other parents/guardians. The Board has a constitutional obligation to not remove
materials simply because it disagrees with subject matter unless such ideas are in violation of I.C. 18-1514. The
First Amendment to the US Constitution encompasses not only freedom to share one’s views but also freedom to
receive information.
Any parent/guardian of a District student, any student, or any employee, may formally challenge a specific learning
material item used by the District’s educational program. Challenges will only be accepted from individuals
belonging to at least one of these groups.
Learning materials, for the purposes of this policy, are not limited to Board approved curriculum but shall also be
considered to be any material used in classroom instruction, materials available to students in the classroom,
library materials, or any materials to which a teacher might refer a student as part of the course of instruction.
The major criterion for deciding whether to keep or remove a challenged resource is the appropriateness of the
resource for its intended educational use. This may include:
1. The appropriateness of the material for the instructional objectives it is used to teach;
2. The appropriateness of the material’s level of difficulty; and
3. The appropriateness of the material for the age group(s) with which it is used. Library and classroom
materials shall be considered in light of their appropriateness for the oldest students who will have access to them.
4. Whether the material meets the definition of "harmful to minors" provided below.
For the purposes of this policy, the term “harmful to minors” has the meaning provided in IC 18-1514 and I.C.
18-1517B:
“Harmful to minors” includes in its meaning:
1) The quality of any material or any performance or of any description or representation, in whatever form, of
nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sado-masochistic abuse, when it:
a) Appeals to the prurient interest of minors as judged by the average person, applying contemporary community standards; and
b) Depicts or describes representations or descriptions of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or
sado-masochistic abuse which are patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable material for minors and includes, but is not limited to, patently offensive representations or descriptions of:
i. Intimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated; or
ii. Masturbation, excretory functions or lewd exhibition of the genitals or genital area. Nothing herein
contained is intended to include or proscribe any matter which, when considered as a whole, and in context in which it is used, possesses serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.
No library material shall be removed solely because of the ideas expressed therein.
Informal Process
Any individual identified above who wishes to raise a complaint about a piece of learning material should first
discuss the matter informally with the teacher, librarian, or other staff member who oversees its use. The patron
should explain their objection to the material.
The staff member shall try to resolve the matter informally through such measures as:
1. Explaining the District’s materials selection process, the criteria for selection and the qualifications of the professional staff who selected the questioned resource;
2. Explaining the intended educational purpose of the resource, its value as a resource, and any additional information regarding its use; and/or
3. Offering a concerned parent an alternative instructional resource to be used by that parent’s child in place of the challenged resource in a manner that complies with Policy 2425 Parental Rights.
All informal complaints made to staff members of the District shall be reported to the building principal, whether
received by telephone, letter, or in personal conversation. If the complainant wishes to make a formal challenge,
the staff member shall direct the complainant to this policy.
Formal Process
An eligible party who wishes to make a formal objection should submit their complaint in writing to the principal of
the building where the material is used using a form provided by the District. At minimum, the complaint shall
reference specific sections of the materials or resources that produced the formal complaint. Vague or incomplete
complaints will not be submitted to the learning materials review committee. The building principal shall forward
the form to the Superintendent.
Additionally, the District may decline to consider a request for reconsideration of a material that has already been
the subject of such reconsideration within the past 4 years.
The Superintendent shall convene a learning materials review committee, who will provide an objective evaluation
of the material. The committee shall contain an odd number of members. Members of this committee may include
such parties as:
1. Instructional staff who have experience using the challenged resource with students;
2. Other teachers and librarians. If the challenged material was selected by a specific teacher or librarian, that individual will not be selected for the committee. If the District has only one librarian and that librarian selected the material in question, the District may seek to include a librarian from a nearby public library or school district on the committee;
3. Administrators;
4. Parents/guardians of District students, including parents whose children have already graduated; and
5. Any other appropriate individuals selected by the Superintendent.
A person who has submitted a formal complaint regarding a learning material shall not participate in the review of
that item as a committee reviewing the material. If the complainant serves on a standing learning materials review
committee, they shall recuse themselves from all committee activities related to review of the material.
All members of the committee shall review the challenged resource. They shall also consider written or verbal
comments submitted by District students, parents/guardians of District students, District employees, and District
residents on the material in question. For library materials, the resource in question must be read or reviewed by
each committee member. For materials that are a part of material used in classroom instruction, the teacher shall
present to the committee on its role within the classroom. Passages or parts of the work in context shall not be
considered out of context, and the values and faults of the work should be weighed against each other. Decisions
about what action to take regarding the material shall be based on the materials as a whole. Where appropriate,
the committee may solicit advice or opinion from other District staff and/or relevant professional organizations of
librarians, English teachers, or other appropriate professionals.
The committee shall vote on whether the challenged resource should be kept or removed in accordance with the
principles set out in this policy or whether some other change should be made. In the case of library material, it
shall include a recommendation to:
1. Retain the material in its original location; or
2. Relocate the material to another location, such as library or classroom that serves older students; or
3. Remove the material entirely.
The committee shall prepare a written report of its findings and provide copies to the Superintendent, the
complainant, and to staff members who oversee use of the resource, that includes both majority and minority
opinions on the learning material or library resource under consideration. The report may differ depending on the
type of resource being challenged.
The Superintendent shall review the committee’s report. If the material under consideration is part of the District’s
curriculum, and if the committee votes in favor of removing it from the curriculum, the Board shall review the
report, and the Board shall determine whether the challenged resource should be kept or removed or whether
some other change should be made.
If the material in question is a library resource, classroom library resource, or other material available to students
and not part of the District’s Board-approved curriculum, the Superintendent shall determine whether to accept
the committee’s recommendation or whether some other change should be made. The Superintendent shall notify
the complainant of the outcome, including the recommendation of the committee. This decision in this regard may
be appealed to the Board.
If an appeal of the Superintendent’s decision is made to the Board, the Board has the sole discretion in determining
how to handle the complaint review, including but not limited to the Board’s option of solely reviewing the
committee’s report and making a determination or seeking to speak with the parties involved in the complaint
during a properly noticed meeting of the Board. The decision of the Board will be final.
Legal References: I.C. §18-1514(6) Obscene Materials — Definitions
IC18-1517B Children's School and Library Protection Act
Cross Reference:
2425 Parental Rights
2500 Library Materials
4110 Public Complaints
Other Reference: Library Bill of Rights: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
Idaho Commission for Libraries website: https://libraries.idaho.gov/
Policy History:
Adopted on: 02/27/2007
Revised on: 04/25/2023
Revised on: 10/24/2023
Revised on: 1/28/2025