Dear HPISD Parents and Staff,

The HPISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted last night to approve changes to the policy regarding instructional resources, materials and the challenge process.

Some of the policy revisions include:

District staff shall place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to ensure a comprehensive collection that is appropriate for the school community.
During the selection of instructional resources, professional staff shall ensure that materials are evaluated as a whole and selected for their strengths, rather than rejected for their weaknesses. Literature selections shall not contain excessive or gratuitous explicit sexuality, excessive or gratuitous profanity, or excessive or gratuitous graphic violence. Selected materials will not be masked, clipped, or altered in any manner inconsistent with the author's intent.
Staff will ensure that materials provide balanced information on opposing sides of controversial issues so that students may develop under guidance the skill of critical analysis.
Secondary parents/guardians shall be sent a notification letter of possible reading selections in District English classes in grades 9-12. Each parent/guardian and student has the right to request an alternative reading assignment. A student shall be assigned an alternative selection without penalty.
If a book is formally challenged, the reconsideration committee shall meet and determine whether the challenged material is appropriate for its intended use, as soon as reasonably possible. The committee as a whole shall discuss the challenged material based on the general objectives and selection criteria set out in this policy. The objectives and selection criteria shall be guides to the committee in determining educational appropriateness.

In addition to policy changes, trustees were updated on Highland Park High School's literature selection procedures.

We will continue to post updates regarding literature selection on the home page of the district website.

Click HERE to read today's Dallas Morning News article on the subject.