What you need to know
Trustees approved a revised version of HISD's District of Innovation plan Aug. 28, which includes new exemptions to policies guiding the acquisition of library materials and grievances, among other minor changes.
The details
The amended plan exempts the district from an update to its library materials acquisition policy, reverting it to the policy held by the district prior to a legislative change. The new policy could require the district to create a local school library advisory council if requested by enough district parents, the DOI plan states, that would be tasked with reviewing library materials and providing feedback on their selection and removal.
Additionally, the policy would require the board of trustees to approve all library materials, and includes guidance about challenges to library materials, among other requirements.
The DOI plan approved in August states the district will be exempt from this policy change, and maintain its existing library materials policy, the document states.
HISD will also maintain its existing grievance policy, foregoing an update that would lengthen the period in which a grievance can be filed. The DOI plan states that the new version of the policy in the state education code would prove restrictive, limiting the district's ability to respond to complaints with timeliness.
Remember this?
HISD became the state's 65th district of innovation in 2017, allowing the district to exempt itself from some aspects of the state's education code. The district approved the most recent version of its DOI plan in 2022.
What else?
Both the 2022 and 2025 versions of the DOI plan are available here.
