I have been the MASL IF Chair since 2003. During that time, I have had
three (3) of my own challenges, there have been eight (8) challenges
reported to me and nine (9) challenges where my help was requested, so
twenty (20) so far, but 2009 isn't over yet …
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There are frequently multiple complaints about a challenged item, but in
Maine schools and school libraries, the most common complaint seems to be
"unsuited to / inappropriate for [a certain age or grade]". See the graph
that is posted in the Intellectual Freedom section of the MASL website.
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Of the twenty material challenges in Maine schools, nine (9) came from
middle schools, five (5) from elementary schools, four (4) from high
schools and two (2) from mixed (K-12, K-8, 6-12) schools.
If I could make a generalization about the age or grade levels where one
is likely to see challenges, it would be in the “transitional” grades: 5th
and 6th grade (between elementary and middle school) and 8th and 9th grade
(between middle and high school).
Nine (9) of our twenty reported challenges happened in these transitional
grades and, in each case, the complainant listed “inappropriate for grade
level” as part of the complaint.
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Report it. Use the "Report a Challenge" form on the MASL IF web page or
e-mail me (maslifblog@gmail.com ) and I will
send you a link to the "Report a Challenge" form. We can't help you deal
with the challenge until you report it. Once you do report it, we can
prepare a "Book Rationale" in support of the challenged material, gather
reviews and write letters of support that reference legal precedents. (see other rationales as examples) But
most importantly, we can support you, because dealing with a challenge is,
well, challenging.
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