These updates bring the district's policies in line with the Texas Administrative Code, as well as catalog development standards adopted by the Texas Education Agency, said Cindy Hill, RRISD's general counsel.
What you need to know
The primary change to how the policies will impact community members, Hill said, is by narrowing the scope of who can challenge instructional and library materials.
Currently, RRISD's policy for challenges to instructional and library materials allows any resident of the district to challenge any materials they find questionable in accordance with established guidelines. The proposed update would limit challenges to parents, guardians and employees of the district, she said.
The details
The updates come from changes to policies EFA and EFB legal and local, which govern instructional resources such as those used in the classroom and available in the library, and make up a handful of the 46 policy updates currently under consideration in the district.
In addition to narrowing who is allowed to make challenges, the policy update comes with clarifications to criteria for selecting instructional resources, and may include items from the State Board of Education list, according to district documents.
What's next?
The board discussed the policy updates in a first reading Nov. 21, and could take action on them at a future meeting. The board did not take action regarding the policies in November.
