The Noblesville Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its Nov. 21 meeting to approve a school library material removal request procedure, in accordance with Indiana Code.

The policy states that a parent or guardian of a student enrolled in Noblesville Schools or a community member who resides within the geographic boundaries of Noblesville Schools can submit a request to remove material from a school library, on the grounds of the material being obscene or harmful to minors defined by Indiana Code.

The new policy states that the requester should discuss the item of concern with the school librarian. If nothing changes, the requester can submit a Removal Request Form to the assistant superintendent of learning.

Marnie Cooke, executive director of marketing and communications at Noblesville Schools, said the form is also sent to a few other district leaders. She also said the board is involved throughout the process.

The superintendent or a designee will convene a review committee to look at the request. At a minimum, the committee will include a district-level administrator, a school librarian, a teacher, a building-level administrator and a school employee who lives within the geographic boundaries of the corporation — if one of the other committee members doesn’t already fulfill that requirement.

The committee should review the material in its entirety, the policy states, then issue a written recommendation to the requester and the school board.

The requester can make an appeal within 10 school days to the superintendent who delivers it to the board.

School board member Laura Alerding recommended laying out a specific number of people for the committee in the policy. She also said committee meetings should be public.

Noblesville Schools Superintendent Daniel Hile said after the committee decides on a removal request, it will be presented to the board to discuss in public.

The next regular school board meeting is 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Educational Services Center Board Room, 18025 River Rd.

INDIANA CODE

According to Indiana Code, a matter or performance is obscene if:

Taken as a whole, the average person, applying contemporary standards, finds the dominant theme appeals to the prurient interest in sex
It depicts or describes in a patently offensive way sexual conduct
Taken as a whole, it lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

A matter or performance is harmful to minors if:

It describes or represents in any form nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement or sado-masochistic abuse
Considered as a whole, it appeals to the prurient interest in sex of minors
Considered as a whole, it is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community (respecting what is suitable for or performance before minors)
Considered as a whole, it lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors