From left: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education members Jason Tauriainen, Matt Morse, Virginia Morgan and Beverley Romanin participate in a board meeting on Monday, July 10, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

From left: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education members Jason Tauriainen, Matt Morse, Virginia Morgan and Beverley Romanin participate in a board meeting on Monday, July 10, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

School board revises policy for challenging instructional materials

The revisions newly limit the number of instructional items that a person can challenge at any given time to one

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education on Monday approved changes to the district’s process for challenging instructional materials in a way board members said will be less burdensome for district staff.

The policy being revised outlines the process through which KPBSD staff, students, parents or guardians and Kenai Peninsula Borough residents may make complaints about instructional materials used in the district. For both required and non-required materials, district policy says the item will be reviewed by an instructional material review committee.

The revisions to that policy approved by school board members on Monday newly limit the number of instructional items that a person can challenge at any given time to one. The district’s existing policy did not limit the number of items.

Further, the revised policy increased the amount of time that must elapse between when an item is reviewed by the district and when a new challenge can be brought against the same item. Previously, the district would allow reconsideration of a previously challenged item after one year. Now, an item may be reconsidered after three years.

Board member Jason Tauriainen, who represents Nikiski, tried unsuccessfully to amend the policy such that a person could challenge three, rather than one, item going through the district’s challenge process at a time. In proposing the change, Tauriainen said limiting challenges to one at a time was too restrictive.

“I don’t believe in somebody just bringing a list that they found and throwing a bunch of challenges in, so I do think there needs to be a cap, but I think one at a time is a little too restrictive,” Tauriainen said Monday.

Board member Penny Vadla said allowing each person to challenge three items at a time could prove burdensome for KPBSD’s librarians, particularly if the district is experiencing staff shortages.

“If we have future instances where we can’t fill our libraries with people who are certified to take care of it properly, then I think three could be problematic,” Vadla said.

It was initially unclear Monday whether or not board members had the authority to amend administrative regulations, however, KPBSD Administrative Secretary Nikkol Sipes ultimately determined they do. Board members voted 8-1 against increasing the number of challenged items per person from one to three, with Tauriainen voting in support.

Board members voted 8-1 in favor of the revised policy, with board member Matt Morse voting in opposition. Tauriainen said that, while he still thinks the one-item limit is too restrictive, he overall supported the proposed revisions.

Monday’s school board meeting will be available to stream on KPBSD’s BoardDocs page.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Candidate Bill Elam waves signs on election day on Tuesday, Oct 3, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Voters take to the polls during Tuesday municipal election

Poll workers report low turnout across the central peninsula

Some of the pumpkins submitted to the pumpkin-decorating contest are seen here during the 5th annual Kenai Fall Pumpkin Festival in Kenai, Alaska, on Oct. 10, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion file)
Kenai’s Fall Pumpkin Fest set for Saturday

The fun actually starts early, as a central element of the festival is a pumpkin decorating contest already underway

Aurora Borealis Charter School Art and Music Teacher Eleanor Van Sickle leads students in a performance of "Autumn Canon," a Hungarian song at a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O'Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Student serenade

Aurora Borealis Charter School students sing at the assembly during the regular school board meeting on Monday

Bear 747, defending Fat Bear Week Champion, stands on the bank of the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The winner of a Thursday matchup between Bear 128 Grazer and Bear 151 Walker will meet 747 in Fat Bear Week competition on Saturday. (Photo courtesy C. Cravatta/National Park Service)
Survival of the fattest

Paunchy ursine competitors go head-to-head in annual Fat Bear Week

Soldotna Elementary School Principal Dr. Austin Stevenson walks amid natural gas pipes anchored to the outside of school on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
High costs stall work on school bond

A cost estimate for the reconstruction of Soldotna Elementary School came back $13.5 million over budget

(City of Seward)
Police standoff closes Seward Highway

Police say standoff was with ‘barricaded individual,’ not escaped inmate

Mount Redoubt can be seen across Cook Inlet from North Kenai Beach on Thursday, July 2, 2022. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska not included in feds’ proposed 5-year oil and gas program

The plan includes a historically low number of proposed sales

A copy of "People, Paths, and Places: The Frontier History of Moose Pass, Alaska" stands in sunlight in Soldotna, Alaska, on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Moose Pass to receive award for community historical effort

“People, Paths, and Places: The Frontier History of Moose Pass, Alaska” was a collaboration among community members

Most Read