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Smoky Mountain News
April 13-19, 2022
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Join the March Hare and the Mad Hatter as the Cherokee Historical Association and Havoc Movement Company present “Alice in Wonderland.” See this Appalachian spin on the classic tale starting April 1, then throughout the month on select nights from 7–9 p.m. Only in Cherokee’s Mountainside Theatre. For dates and tickets: VisitCherokeeNC.com
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HCAE proposes policy changes to review of parental complaints HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER aywood County Association of Educators has put forth suggested amendments to the school board policy regarding parental inspection of and objection to instructional materials. “We want to make sure that when instructional materials are brought before administration or the board of education, it’s a fair and equitable process across the board,” HCAE president Tara O’Laughlin told The Smoky Mountain News. “Of course, parents can have objections, but we would like teachers to be treated as professionals, weigh in, and have a more objective way for this to be done.” The changes proposed by HCAE outline a process by which a complaint regarding instructional material is reviewed by a school-level committee made up of educators and administrators. Any determination made by this school-level committee can be appealed to the superintendent and finally to the board of education if the complainant is not satisfied with the school-level or district-level committees’ determinations. The proposed changes to board policy came in response to the recent pulling of “Dear Martin” from a 10th grade English class at Tuscola High School. Because convening a committee to review parental objections to instructional material is currently optional, there was no recourse for input from educators after Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte made the decision to pull the book. “These amendments will alleviate the subjective nature when instructional materials are brought into question,” O’Laughlin said in a presentation to the board of education at its April 4 meeting. “The amendments to this policy in no way take away the power from parents in regards to questioning instructional material. Rather it creates an equitable process by which materials will be reviewed.” The process for parental objection to instructional material is laid out in Policy 3210. First, parents have a right to inspect all instructional materials, except for tests or assessments. The process for parental objection to instructional materials in the current policy involves written objection submitted to the principal of the school. Then the principal may establish a committee to review the objection. If the principal or the committee determines that any material violates constitutional or other legal rights of the parent or student, the principal or the committee shall either remove the material from instructional use or accommodate the particular student and parent. This is where HCAE is proposing changes to the policy. The proposed policy updates say that upon receiving a parental complaint, the principal shall forward the complaint to a Building Level Committee. This committee will
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