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Board Policies 6000 - Instruction
Board Policy 6180.2 - Evaluation of Library Media Material

Board Policy 6180.2 - Evaluation of Library Media Material

I. POLICY STATEMENT

  1. The Prince George’s County Board of Education (Board) affirms its responsibility to provide every student with appropriate, high quality instructional materials and resources to support the learning of all students in all classes and at every grade
  2. The Board is committed to ensuring that students, parents, and staff are afforded the opportunity to provide objections to materials in a school library media program.

II.PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for the review of objections to library media materials in the school library media program.

III. DEFINITIONS

  1. Library media materials – Includes print and/or digital formats of the following: books, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, graphic materials, films, videos, movies, slides, recordings, pictures, study prints, multimedia kits, electronic resources, such as software, online reference services, and other types of materials which are published and produced.
  2. Parent – Any one of the following individuals who are legally responsible for a student:
    1. Biological parent – A natural parent whose parental rights have not been terminated.
    2.  Adoptive parent – A person who has legally adopted the student and `whose parental rights have not been terminated.
    3. Custodian – A person or agency appointed by a court as the legal custodian of the student and granted parental rights and privileges.
    4. Guardian – A person who has been placed by a court in charge of the affairs of the student and granted parental rights and privileges.
    5. Caregiver – An adult resident of Prince George’s County who exercises care, custody or control over the student, but who is neither the biological parent nor legal guardian.
    6. Foster parent – An adult approved to care for a child who has been placed in their home by a State agency or a licensed child placement as provided by Section 5-507 of the Family Law Article.

IV. STANDARDS

      1. The library media materials, services, and resources provided in a school library media program are provided for the interest, information, and instructional support of students and staff of the schools the program serves.
      2. Library media materials may not be excluded from a school library media program solely because of the origin, background, or views of the individual who created the material.
      3. Library media materials may not be excluded or removed from the catalog of a school library media program because of partisan, ideological or religious diapproval.
      4. The Superintendent/designee shall establish a uniform process for students, parents of a student enrolled in the school, and school staff to submit an objection to library media materials in a school library media program.
      5. The Superintendent/designee shall ensure that the review of the library media material that has been objected to will be conducted by a committee and a timeline shall be established to conduct and conclude the review process of the objection in a timely manner.
      6. The committee will provide a written decision regarding the If the person does not accept the decision, they shall have ten (10) calendar days from the date of the committee’s decision to appeal the decision to the Superintendent/designee.
      7. The library media materials under review due to an objection shall remain available for use by students and school staff until the review and appeal process has concluded.
      8. The Board may not dismiss, demote, suspend, discipline, reassign, transfer, or otherwise retaliate against a librarian, a certified library media specialist or school library media program support staff for performing their job duties consistent with the above

V. IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITIES

The Superintendent shall establish administrative procedures to implement this policy.

VI. REFERENCES

  1. Legal
    Md. Code Ann., Educ. § 4-142
  2. Other Board Policies
    BP 4200 - Rules of Procedures in Hearings Requested under § 6-202 and Appeals and Hearings under § 4- 205 of the Education Article
  3. Superintendent’s Administrative Procedures
    AP 6180.2 - Evaluation of Library Media Material
  4. Other

VII. HISTORY

Policy Adopted – 02/27/2025

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