Project-Int.+Freedom

__**Reconsideration Process**__
 * 1) According to the district's policy, no materials should be removed from use until entire review process is completed. Access can be denied to the children of the complaintants.
 * 2) Principal convenes review committee, including: Director of Curriculum, Library Media Specialist, Teacher, PTA Representative, and the Principal his/herself. This committee shall review the material according to the Instructions to Reconsideration Committee. Then, they prepare a report on their recommendations for the material.
 * 3) Principal notifies complainant of the decision and sends a formal report to the Superintendant. Then, the principal sends a formal response to the complainant. Included in the written response is how books are selected, criteria used for selection, and authorities used in the Reconsideration Committee.
 * 4) If the committee decides to keep the materials, then the complainant will receive an explanation as to why from the principal. If the complaint is valid, the principal will acknowledge it and make recommendations for changes.
 * 5) If complainant is not satisfied, they are able to ask the superintendant to file a complaint with the Board of Education. The board may contact an agency with specialized knowledge, such as the American Library Association or the Association for Superivision and Curriculum Development for assistance in making their decision.
 * 6) The Board of Education makes the decision and notifies all involved. At this point, if the complainant does not agree with findings, they would have to go the legal route in a court of law.

__**Support**__ **//American Civil Liberties Union//** – [|http://www.aclu.org] The site is neatly laid out. The main section is right directly in the middle of the page. It is laid out like a newspaper. There are larger and smaller headings and sections according to their importance. I also think using the colors red, white, and blue on the website is a very suttle way of promoting our country's democratic principles. This organization appears to be organized and able to help very effectively when asked. The ACLU's mission is to defend our rights and liberties that the Constitution guarantees for everyone, especially those groups who have had their liberties/freedoms denied in the past.


 * // American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom //** – [] - Each section is marked off by borders. The colors are very subdued and each heading is much larger, so to stick out. Most of the first screen is a list of the resources on this site as a direct link to that section. You can probably get to a lot of the parts of the website from this opening screen. I really like that most resources are only two clicks away. You don't have to go through five different menus and remember the path when trying to locate something. This site's mission is to provide leadership to develop, promote, and improve library information services, as well as librarians. Another mission stated is to be sure that there is access to information by all.

//**Electronic Frontier Foundation**// - [] Lists the basic updates on what is going on in the technology field, in regards to personal freedoms. The colors used are subdued and the amount of information on page is minimal. This organization protects the freedoms within the digital realm. It has ways to get involved and examples of how it has changed or affected outcomes. This site is easy to read and find information. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's mission is to preserve our personal freedoms in the internet world. Being sure we have the same individual rights then as we do in print.

//**Focus on the Family**// – [|http://www.family.org] The home page of this site appears to have a lot of information. It does seem inviting and warm to the visitor. Their mission is to help families thrive and provide resources to them. One of which is to help raise children morally, according to biblically based principles. This organization promotes its website as a positive encouragement, not chasing after things that have gone wrong. They provide opportunities to improve any parts of a family that are not working, not criticizing others outside the family as the reasons for immorality.

//**National Coalition Against Censorship**// – [] The site is artistically done and each section is set apart from others by boxed sections. There is a menu at the top of the page, with seven different areas of the site. On the home page, there are updates on things with censorship happening right now. This organization's mission is to promote freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression and to oppose censorship in all its forms. I like how this organization presents their beliefs on their website, along with what they are doing in the name of protecting rights of freedom. They do not seem too overbearing, but more matter-of-fact about it.

The site is set up in an organized fashion. They have their main links across the top and sections of importance to their cause on their main page, such as top issues, how to get involved, a blog, a watch on their opposite political counterpart, and their priorities. The site is professional looking and easy to navigate. This organization's mission is to ensure that people have equal access to their personal freedoms, such as free speech, religious freedom, judicial equality, and a vote that counts. I thought this organization presented themselves well on their site. They seemed methodical and willing to take on a big fight.
 * // People for the American Way //** – []

__**Take Issue**__ //** ﻿American Family Association **// – [|http://www.afa.net] This site was very busy at first glance. It was a busy page and there was a live feed to their talk radio show, AFA Radio. They also have an archive of well over 200 clips of radio talk discussions from their channel, AFA Radio. At the top of the page there was a changing billboard that advertised the most urgent issues they are dealing with right now, as well as a list. This is a faith-based group whose goal is to improve the morality of society. They do this by bringing up issues that its ﻿members can act on to bring about change. They have a count of their current supporters, which is over 2,000,000. I felt this site was very good at making their opinions seem right. Even if you didn't agree with their issues, a person might feel compelled to take action. **//ClassKC.org//** - [] At the top of the site is promoting children learning to love reading using quality literature. If you continue reading on their main page, it has two different sections that list specific "unacceptable" language and/or topics in particular books. The website seems to target the Blue Valley District and their use of specific literature titles and main curriculum content. Under each offending title is the list of offensive words and situations. Seeing just those words in print and out of context is very different than seeing them within the work of the story. It is actually kind of odd to see a whole page of curse words and unacceptable behaviors just listed. I think that would hurt your "psyche" more than the literature that uses the language.

//**The Eagle Forum**// – [|http://www.eagleforum.org] This site is well organized with about four or five menus across the top. Under each menu option there are examples and direct links to related examples and information under that topic. It has a big giant eagle at the top of the site and the American flag. The Eagle Forum states that it supports the Constitution, American identity, American sovereignty, and traditional education. It also states that it exposes radical feminists. Its overall purpose is to build a better educated, safer, stronger America, based on traditional values. Their beliefs, comments, and actions remind me of the fifties, when a mother could stay home and raise children and the father went off to work Mon.-Fri. from 9 to 5. They all sat down together to eat when the father got home and then spent quality time together after they all helped with the clean-up of dinner. (It seems the feminist movement should have never happened according to their beliefs.) //**PABBIS**// - [] This site opens to a homepage that states what their acronym stands for: Parents Against Bad Books in School. It begins your acquaintance with the site as a negative one. The site itself appears to be one that has been made at home and has a non-professional feel. It's hard to take something seriously, if it doesn't appear to be done well. It also explains to parents the steps to take to request that a book be reconsidered within a school library. There are a lot of side notes about what the school district will do and how they are going to be against you. Overall, it has a very negative feel. The PABBIS' main purpose is to share what might be considered "bad" books (or inappropriate) to be in schools. They also allow others to suggest "bad books" as well. The site does list the bad language/situations of each book mentioned on another part of the site.

//**P**////**arents Protecting the Minds of Children**// - [] This site just has a picture of a blackboard with writing on it, as suggested in a classroom. There are only seven links on the bottom of the page. It is very simply designed, suggesting that it is a personal website. It was created by a parent in Fayetteville, Arkansas to work on banning a number of books that she thought were "pornographic." There are links to a petition and other actions she is asking readers to take. For her purpose, this website worked well for her. It was just simply to inform and get the district's residents to help her get the books selected removed from the school district. There were easy links and directions that people could quickly follow to join her cause.


 * Fayetteville, Arkansas Policy **
 * 1) Resources in school library media collections are an integral component of the curriculum and represent diverse points of view on both current and historical issues. // This ensures that all viewpoints of issues will be included in material. //
 * 2) Members of the school community involved in the collection development process employ educational criteria to select resources unfettered by their personal, political, social, or religious views. Students and educators served by the school library media program have access to resources and services free of constraints resulting from personal, partisan, or doctrinal disapproval. School library media specialists resist efforts by individuals or groups to define what is appropriate for all students or teachers to read, view, hear, or access via electronic means. //Explains that they do not take people's requests for censorship lightly and will resist the reasoning to do so based on people's personal beliefs systems.//
 * 3) Major barriers between students and resources include but are not limited to imposing age or grade level restrictions on the use of resources; limiting the use of interlibrary loan and access to electronic information; charging fees for information in specific formats; requiring permission from parents or teachers; establishing restricted shelves or closed collections; and labeling. Policies, procedures, and rules related to the use of resources and services support free and open access to information. // This specifically states that by putting restrictions in place for student's access to resources, they no longer have free and open access to information, which is not allowing students their right to personal freedoms. //
 * 4) The process (step by step) that will be taken if a patron would like for a resource to be reconsidered, including a timeline. // Having this process outlined specifically keeps all parties involved on the same timeline and knowing that everyone will go through the same process. (No one will be treated unfairly and all will have due process.) //
 * 5) Any material that has been through the process for reconsideration will not be reconsidered again for 5 years. // This is very important so that a request for reconsideration of the same book will not continually be repeated. //
 * Blue Valley, Kansas Policy **
 * 1) Appropriateness of the resource for the age of the students with whom the resource is intended to be used considering the following: Emotional development, Ability level, Learning style, Social development, Absence of vulgar language, sexual explicitness, or violent imagery that is gratuitously employed. // Helps to explain that selection criteria is also based on each student's age appropriateness. Specific age groups are capable of different topics emotionally. //
 * 2) Letter to inform parents of novel selections. //Informing parents up front of the educational value to a chosen selection would alleviate problems later on. I especially like the idea of showing links to book reviews.//
 * 3) Teachers should refer to the established video rating when selecting commercially-rated videos for instruction. //Having the exact guidelines written out for each age level and allowed ratings will alleviate teachers showing inappropriate video and keep it tied to the curriculum. This allows for older aged students to view material that has educational value, regardless of the rating.//
 * 4) If the reconsideration committee votes to retain resource, the complainant can appeal to the Superintendent. If the committee votes to remove the resource, it is automatically referred to the Superintendent. In both cases a committee of administrative personnel review the resource. //An automatic appeal to the Superintendent for removing resources is a good way to be sure any one person or group has not influenced the committee's decision in any way. Also, by having another higher powered committee review the decision, there is a better chance that it won't come up as a problem again in the near future.//
 * 5) "Directly Affected Person" and "Indirectly Affected Person" both have definitions. They also have different processes by which they can ask for a reconsideration of a learning resource. A directly affected person can make the request to a media specialist, principal, or teacher. An indirectly affected person has to make their request directly to the Superintendent. Having this distinction protects the district from requests by specific groups whose agenda is to remove resources that are deemed inappropriate by their belief system.