Late Work -- No Problem!
Incomplete Work -- No Problem!
When patrons pointed out that many books were being assigned that were NOT on the district's "approved" list of titles (which means that the books had NOT gone through any of the "filtering" processes promised by Board of Education textbook selection policies), Blue Valley decided to retroactively approve 15 books during the summer of 2004.
More concerning, however, is that TO DATE, Blue Valley has never explained how any of the books on the "approved" list -- retroactively approved or not -- are age appropriate or absent of gratuitous sex, violence, and profanity, as promised by their own textbook selection policies. Unfortunately, the school system continues to just ignore the portions of BOE policies that they do not want to deal with.
Also, TO DATE, Blue Valley teachers continue to assign books that are not on the district's "approved" list. Twelve unapproved titles appeared on summer 2005 reading lists.
The reality at Blue Valley is that Communication Arts teachers have been free to assign whatever novels they individually want. If caught, they have been told to retroactively create documentation to make it "look" like the books have gone through the selection process. We don't think that's what the Board of Education had in mind when they created a textbook selection policy that supposedly governs textbook selection processes in the first place. But who will hold the teachers accountable for the selection of sex-filled novels and retroactive and incomplete documentation when they don't even have to date or sign their rationales? Obviously, no one!