Conroe ISD Trustees Discuss How Residents Opposed to Throwing Out Books Can File a Complaint

The Conroe ISD Board of Trustees debated what additions to make, if any, to make it easier for parents and community members to challenge titles that are being reconsidered by the district.After a number of parents contacted Conroe ISD Trustee Stacey Chase asking if they could challenge book removals from library and classroom shelves, the board discussed possible additions to the district's policies and procedures without taking any formal action Tuesday night.

In a formal review, the challenger files for reconsideration. A formal reconsideration committee comprised of an administrator, staff member, educator and randomly selected parents reviews the book. The person can then choose to accept the committee's decision or appeal it to the board. “That would be the process since we update our website routinely with the books that have been reviewed and the decisions that have been made,” she added. “A person would be able to file a complaint if they routinely monitor that site if this is an issue that’s important to them.”

Chase also questioned how a person who wasn’t versed in board policy would know to file a complaint and the criteria requirements to abide by, such as having it done within 15 days of when the person first knew or"with reasonable diligence" should have known about the event. “Did they really think nobody cared that these books were removed? Maybe they thought it should’ve been obvious, and it wasn’t," the teacher said. Many of these books disappeared, and maybe they haven’t paid attention to that before, and now they have.”

Trustee Melissa Dungan, one of the three self-declared “mama bears” or slate of conservative board members, echoed this sentiment that information uploaded on the district’s website needed to be front and center for parents and other community members.

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