The selection of core instructional materials is governed by School Board Policy 2520. The policy provides a guide for the selection, adoption, purchase, and procedures for parents/guardians/or residents to challenge adoption and/or existing materials.
In accordance with current legislation in HB 1467 -Public Participation in the Instructional Materials Review Process, requires that each district school board that holds meetings of committees convened for the purpose of selecting instructional materials for recommendation to the district school board must be noticed and open to the public, and must include parents of district students. Click here for Parental Rights Webpage for Florida Department of Education. Additionally, the bill modifies the requirement that each school district publish on its website a list of all instructional materials to include those used for specified required instruction. In the sections below, each of the requirements in the bill are detailed.
The Core Instructional Resources for the 2023-2024 school year are aligned to:
For additional information on Florida State Standards visit, CPALMS.
Despite the quality of the selection process, occasional objections to instructional materials will be made. The Board supports the principles of intellectual freedom inherent in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and expressed in the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association, the School Library Bill of Rights of the American Association of School Librarians, and Freedom to Read of the American Library Association.
Each school principal should review the selection and objection rules with the staff annually, emphasizing the ethical considerations in attempting to handle resident complaints with courtesy and dignity. It is recommended that the school administrator or designee receiving a complaint regarding instructional materials try to resolve the issue at the school level.
Parents/Guardians or residents with objections to existing instructional materials will work directly with the teacher and school administration to discuss their concerns.
To facilitate a successful resolution parents should provide the school with the following information:
Once the above information has been collected by a school representative, the building administration will respond within 48 hours. This time will allow for the administration to research the inquiry and schedule a conference to address the concern.
The principal or designee will then have an opportunity to explain the reason(s) for the use of the material and to answer questions the parent or resident has about the selection.
In the event that the complainant is not satisfied with the school-based conference and proposed resolution, the following steps shall be taken.
The cycle for the adoption of instructional materials by content is published by the FLDOE and is governed by state statute. Additional detailed information can be found on the FLDOE Instructional Materials Website.
Click here for detailed information about 4 phases of the Adoption Process
Although materials are carefully selected, there can arise differences of opinion regarding suitable materials. Custodial parents and legal guardians may request restricted access to library/media centers materials for their student by completing the annual consent form located in myStudent and provided each year at registration. Individual(s) requesting that material be withdrawn from or restricted within the collection may complete a form which is available on the district website. During the challenge process, the book is only removed from the collection if the challenge is due to alleged pornographic or sexually explicit content. The book would then be removed within 5 school days of receipt of the objection and remain unavailable to students of that school until the objection is resolved. (HB 1069) Click here to find materials located in your school's media collection.
Challenge Process
1. The principal and District Library Media Specialist meets with the individual(s) to hear the complaint.
2. Upon closure of that meeting, if there is no resolution, paperwork is given to the individual(s) to begin the challenge process.
23-24 Media/Library Materials Challenge
3. The Mach form is filled out by individual(s) and the challenge is sent to the school principal.
4. School Advisory Council convenes and the item in question is evaluated. The principal provides the committee’s decision to the individual(s) in writing.
5. If a school level resolution does not meet the individual(s)’s satisfaction, a request is made for a district level appeal. Steps outlined in School Board Policy 2520 for District Level Appeals will be enacted to bring the matter to resolution.
