G-E-T schools consider overhaul of library media removal process amid book fallout

The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau school board has started the process of updating its policy on how to handle citizen complaints regarding the removal of library media such as books, and a recent committee meeting shed light on what that could look like.

The current policy requires a committee to be assembled of staff, administrators and community members, which then votes on whether the book is appropriate for students in the building.

District Superintendent Michele Butler told the district policy committee at its Thursday meeting last week, however, that this process could be changed under the most current recommended policy from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB).

Butler discovered that the current district policy is outdated after the fallout of an illegal vote and initial removal of the book “Queer Ducks (and other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality” from the middle school library.

Butler presented three new policy and rule options to the committee last Thursday from the WASB policy resource guide. The last major changes to the WASB policy occurred in 2017, Butler said.

“The overriding question the reconsideration process is intended to answer is whether retaining the challenged item/resource as part of the district’s LMC materials (either with or without changes to location, access, or other usage) continues to be lawful, reasonable and sufficiently consistent with the district’s curricular standards and instructional and programmatic goals,” the WASB sample rule reads.

The superintendent believes the policy could have saved the district a lot of trouble. Former board member Paul Kinzer resigned in the days following the removal vote, and the district is still sorting out how to handle a revote on the book.

“I wish to God these had been in place. They weren’t. We’re gonna get them in place. We’re going to do the right work and get the right stuff in place. And that’s important because that takes us in the right direction,” Butler said.

School board president Larry Moore asked how these updates hadn’t been in front of the board yet, but Butler said the district has been reviewing policies steadily since she began with the district.

A past employee recently told Butler that they weren’t aware they could use new WASB policies as directly as they have in recent years.

“Somewhere along the way some communication got lost, didn’t get passed on,” Butler told the committee of keeping its policies up to date with WASB. “Which means we have a lot of work to do. I’ll tell you one of my goals as administrator in the next three years is updating all of our policies.” 

New process would begin with district leaders, then go to committee

The WASB policy shows different options for districts handling media complaints, but the G-E-T policy committee liked one in particular.

Rule three under the policy would begin with a community member submitting a written complaint about a library material.

The review process would then start with a decision from the building principal on whether to keep or remove the book. If the principal keeps the material, the complainant could then appeal to a second administrator in the district or school board on the decision.

If the person is still dissatisfied after the second review, they can then appeal a second time, which would require a materials review committee to be assembled. One of the administrators can also refer the complaint to the materials review committee if they feel it needs further attention or review.

The policy does not outline why an administrator could or should refer the complaint to a committee. 

Butler liked the option because then an administrator could review complaints to see if they have merit, are from a community member, are frivolous or submitted in a hateful manner before a committee must be formed.

Multiple people in the district expressed that they liked this option because they feel it could save staff from unnecessary stress or blowback by participating on a material review committee.

“It pushes that review committee further out which has been a concern with everyone, including our administrators, of feeling bad about the fact that these are teachers — unelected individuals who are now extremely intimidated and uncomfortable serving on a committee. This protects them a little further, and I think that was one of your greatest concerns too,” Butler said Thursday to the policy committee.

“I love having the materials review committee way, way down at the end. ... I don’t know if I would have known this without having had this experience and watching how hard it’s been for some of our teachers and having people last minute not really want to come.”

RELATED: Future Of G-E-T Middle School Library Book Hearing, Removal In Question