Board adopts revised KNBA policy to align district process with new state regulation; vote 9–2

The Greenville County Board of Trustees voted 9–2 to adopt revisions to board policy KNBA, the district’s policy on complaints about instructional materials, in a move that brings local procedures into alignment with a new regulation from the South Carolina State Board of Education.

The administration presented the proposed policy changes as required by the new regulation, which adopts statutory language defining certain prohibited conduct (cited in the meeting as 16 15 3 0 5 c 1) and establishes a statewide process for parents and guardians to challenge instructional materials. Doug Webb, district counsel, told trustees that the regulation "preempts and takes priority over any other school district process throughout the state" and requires districts to maintain current lists of library and classroom materials and to make them available on request.

Under the district’s proposed procedure, most complaints would begin with a good‑faith effort at the school level. If questions remain, a school review panel — the presentation describes the panel as the principal, a media specialist, a teacher, an academics representative and three parent representatives — would examine the material and issue a written decision within 21 days. If the panel removes a material, the superintendent may remove or restrict it districtwide; if unresolved, a parent may file the state complaint that can be considered by the State Board of Education.

Trustees asked detailed questions about implementation: who will catalog the classroom collections, whether teachers will be given a grace period, how online resources and donated books will be handled, and how the district will reduce the workload on media specialists and principals. District officials said they have ordered additional scanning devices, will provide temporary clerical support and are working with Follett (the district’s Destiny system) to flag removed or restricted titles to prevent future purchases. Staff also said a Q&A will be released to principals and teachers in October as more implementation details are collected.

Several trustees raised concerns about the regulation’s 90‑day timeline for a public meeting and whether the board should preserve greater local discretion; Webb responded that the 90 days is written into the regulation but the board could choose how to proceed in individual cases. Trustees also debated whether smaller ad hoc committees should review district appeals; administrators said they did not include an ad hoc committee mechanism in the draft policy but the board could adopt one if it wished.

The motion to adopt the revised KNBA policy (version 2) carried on a recorded roll‑call vote. The administration emphasized that the district will continue to support principals and media specialists during the implementation, and staff reiterated that the regulation requires a focus on the content of a work rather than a viewpoint. The board’s vote was the most recent procedural step; the adopted policy will be implemented by the administration according to the regulation and the district’s timelines.

What happens next: the district will continue training for principals and media specialists, roll out additional scanning and cataloguing support, and publish implementation guidance; parents who exhaust the district process may file the state complaint form noted by staff as included in the board materials.