The Chino Valley Unified School Board has voted to create a process that could lead to books and other teaching materials getting pulled over “sexually obscene” content, or even political material.
The controversial policy, which some critics equate to a book ban, was enacted Thursday night and lays out steps for how schools deal with complaints lodged by parents and students.
When someone comes forward, the student is first excused from using the material in question, the new policy states. Ultimately, a district panel comprised of administrators, teachers, librarians and community members could decide to remove it permanently.
Among the reasons teaching material could get banned include not being deemed “age-appropriate,” being “contrary to the moral and ethical standards generally held by the community,” or presenting “one-sided” political views.
In July, Chino Valley’s right-leaning board enacted another controversial policy – one that would have required schools to notify parents if their child was identifying as transgender. A judge blocked the policy two months later after California’s Attorney General sought a temporary restraining order.