The Crowley Independent School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 27 approved three related local policy updates that administrators said implement recent state legislation and add new local procedures for instructional materials and student participation.
The administration presented changes to board policy EFB (instructional resources and library materials), to FD (admissions) and to FM (student activities). Ms. Betsy Batiste, district staff who presented the items, said the proposals are “in response to SB 13” and other legislative changes and include a procedure for parents or community members to challenge library items.
The policy text for EFB, Ms. Batiste said, is aimed at ensuring “the district provides a wide range of instructional materials for students and faculty that support achievement.” She told trustees that donations and monetary gifts to campus libraries must come before the board and that the district will create a challenge committee made up of stakeholders to review materials that are contested. “If by chance there's something that's on our library list … there is an opportunity to have a committee challenge that,” she said.
Trustees asked how the challenge committee would be formed and how many people would be required. Ms. Batiste said the committee is formed as needed and that the district will solicit interested stakeholders; she said the committee cannot be constituted by “1 to, I think, 49” and that the district would select participants or take a survey of interested individuals.
On FD Local (admissions), Ms. Batiste said administrators recommend keeping the district’s current admissions policy but adding language to clarify that students enrolled in private school or homeschooled would not be permitted to participate concurrently in Crowley ISD curricular or extracurricular activities. She tied the proposed change to a recent session item and to language described in the meeting as “Senate Bill 401 in Texas Education 33.0832.”
The FM Local update is a short policy intended to mirror FD Local by explicitly stating that private-school and home-schooled students cannot participate in Crowley ISD extracurricular opportunities.
Each policy was the subject of trustee questions about process and scope, including whether a single parent could file a challenge; Ms. Batiste said the policy outlines the appeal process and that an appeal may start with a single parent filing a complaint. Trustees also confirmed that all library materials would remain subject to district approval and that librarians and trained staff would be involved in collection decisions. “All books in the library have to be, approved,” Batiste said.
The board voted to approve EFB Local, FD Local and FM Local as presented. Trustee Jean W. Davis moved to approve EFB Local; Dr. Robinson seconded, and the motion passed. Dr. Robinson moved to approve FD Local; Trustee Stevenson seconded, and the motion passed. Trustee Stevenson moved to approve FM Local; Dr. Mayfield seconded, and the motion passed.
The administration said the policy revisions are intended to align local rules with recent state legislation and to provide an explicit local procedure for parental challenges and for acceptance of donations to library collections.
Trustees did not direct further amendments at the meeting; the approved changes will be reflected in future board materials and campus communications.