DDSB HAS NEW POLICY TO GUIDE SCHOOLS IN CHOOSING BOOKS AND MATERIALS

Durham District School Board trustees have approved a new policy to help guide schools in choosing books and other learning materials.

The Learning Resource Selection Policy and Procedure also outlines what happens when parents or members of the community challenge a book or resource.

Both documents were last updated in 2016. Trustees approved an updated version at the DDSB'S Sept. 19 board meeting.

The appropriateness of books used in schools was front and centre earlier this year, after the DDSB pulled three titles by Indigenous authors from school libraries in response to complaints from Indigenous families.

The move made headlines in Canada and the U.S. and sparked intense debate about what should happen when concerns are raised about books used in schools.

The three titles — 'The Great Bear' by David A. Robertson, 'Louis Riel: Le Pays Improbable' by Andre Leblanc and 'Sisters of the Wolf' by Patricia Miller-shroeder — were returned to DDSB library shelves after a review.

The updated policy lists criteria that should be used for choosing learning materials, including "portraying accurate histories and narratives of various communities and groups that are discriminated against, marginalized and minoritized."

All resource selections must comply with the DDSB'S Indigenous Education Policy and Human Rights Policy.

The procedure notes "at least annually, staff shall engage in resource reviews as to compliance with the Learning Resource Selection Policy, to better support ongoing learning and to challenge discriminatory biases, attitudes, assumptions, stereotypes, content and barriers in learning resources."

If a resource is challenged, there are two possible pathways.

One is an informal reconsideration that is resolved at the school level with the principal making a decision.

The other is a formal process that sees the board strike a Learning Resource Reconsideration Committee that includes DDSB superintendents, senior staff and a trustee. The committee is required to provide a written report on its decision within 30 school days of first meeting.

A new DDSB guideline for choosing resources and books advises staff to consider factors like representation — "are particular identities only represented in one way, or barely at all?" and cultural representation.

The guideline also advises staff to look critically at visuals and illustrations and consider questions like: "are physical features accurately drawn? Are members of racialized groups depicted as looking stereotypically similar?"