Requestor
Asha Taylor
Organization/Agency
WBAL-TV 11 News
Requested Information
This is a request under the Maryland Public Information Act, Title 4 of the General Provisions of the Maryland Code. I am making this request as an employee of WBAL-TV.
We request the following information:
● Any complaints, requests, and/or challenges for removal, reclassification, and/or reconsideration of publications (including books, magazines, movies, music, and/or other media), along with any associated records, petitions, and/or correspondence since August 1, 2019. This also includes evaluations by school staff and records of final decisions.
● A listing of books banned from the school district’s curriculums and libraries since August 1, 2019, including dates of official book removals.
● A copy of the established school district’s resource reevaluation policy, as required by the Freedom to Read Act, MD SB0738 (2024).
● A copy of the formal complaint/petition procedure for books to be challenged, along with the date that procedure went into place.
We request the following information:
● Any complaints, requests, and/or challenges for removal, reclassification, and/or reconsideration of publications (including books, magazines, movies, music, and/or other media), along with any associated records, petitions, and/or correspondence since August 1, 2019. This also includes evaluations by school staff and records of final decisions.
● A listing of books banned from the school district’s curriculums and libraries since August 1, 2019, including dates of official book removals.
● A copy of the established school district’s resource reevaluation policy, as required by the Freedom to Read Act, MD SB0738 (2024).
● A copy of the formal complaint/petition procedure for books to be challenged, along with the date that procedure went into place.
Date Received
Status
Complete
Response Notes
No clarification received from requester to continue response.
Responsive Documents
This policy outlines procedures and criteria for the evaluation, selection, and review of instructional resources and includes the school district’s resource revelation policy (within the Implementation Procedures). Formal procedures for approved curriculum or library media resources to be challenged can be found under VIII. Request for Review and Reevaluation of Approved Curriculum Instructional Resources and Library Media Center Collection Resources which includes the use of a Resource Reevaluation Committee. The current policy went into effect July 1, 2023, and a history of prior revision dates can be found at the bottom of the policy itself.
This spreadsheet contains a list of all requests for challenges/reclassification and/or reconsideration of approved curriculum or library media resources during the timeframe sought. For those where a final decision has been made, the outcome and dates are also included.