Corsicana ISD updates library‑materials policy to comply with Senate Bill 13; challenged titles removed district‑wide during review

Corsicana Independent School District staff told the board Aug. 25 they are updating the district’s EFB (local) library‑materials policy to comply with Senate Bill 13, including requirements for public posting, board approval, and district‑wide removal during formal challenges.

The staff presentation summarized three major changes required by SB 13: new library materials must be posted publicly for 30 days with an opportunity for parents to submit a challenge; after the 30‑day posting the materials must be board approved before the district orders them for circulation; and donated items are subject to the same process as purchased materials. Staff said the district will post materials on a library media tab under the curriculum page of the district website.

Staff also highlighted a major change to the challenge procedure: if a parent files a formal challenge, the title must be removed from circulation for all students — including teacher classroom libraries — for the duration of the challenge process. The district’s prior policy removed challenged items only for the student or students directly affected; under the revision the removal is district‑wide during the formal review. Staff emphasized that the policy encourages informal resolution between parents and administrators first, and only when informal steps fail would the formal board review process be used.

The proposed policy also requires that parents be able to view a child’s checkout history; staff said the district is working with Follett (library management vendor) to enable parental access to checkout records.

A staff presenter told the board the updated policy text is provided in the board packet and that key elements reflect state law. Board members asked questions about where materials would be posted online; staff said the district will add a tab under the curriculum section labeled Library Media and place the 30‑day postings there. The transcript shows the policy was presented for board review; the item was described as an update to comply with SB 13 and the board did not take a final approval vote in the supplied excerpt.