Davis: historical review instructions
Research update · October 15, 2026
Instructions and historical versions
A Davis policy copy revised November 4, 2020 requires full-book reading at the school and district-appeal stages. It keeps books in use during the first review and allows appeals within ten school days of receiving the school committee’s decision.
The September 2022 policy copy keeps access equivalent until a final determination and sets a fifteen-school-day appeal period from website posting.
A copy revised September 6, 2023 requires parent permission for books sent to Standard review. It allows thirty school days to appeal.
These are historical document versions. Their text alone does not establish when each was adopted or took effect.
A facilitator training slide directs an initial vote based on challenged pages and supporting evidence. If reviewers find no sensitive-material violation, it directs full-book reading. That tells us the instruction, not what each member actually read.
The policy and training page images are available below.
What the committee paperwork records
Davis’s records describe several steps: requests to remove books, committee votes, written decisions, appeals and the handling of library copies. The entries need to be read together to follow what happened.
Me and Earl: the grade-level count differs
The committee table lists five rows pairing Junior High with Retained, one pairing High School with Retained, and one Removed entry. The written rationale below it says four of seven voted for junior-high retention. Both sections record six retention responses overall.
The disagreement concerns the grade level. This packet leaves the junior-high count unresolved.
The same page labels the determination December 19, 2022 and the rationale December 13. The rationale describes a November 28 vote and a December 14 meeting. Its label precedes a meeting described in its text; the packet does not explain why.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl appeal packet, physical page 2
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl appeal packet, physical page 2. Full physical page, reproduced without annotations.
Original PDF SHA-256: 6eeeffcc5a92b8d850b9b7bcc14632cba4b9465e0c17f19f6b7db2d143f4c329
The June list records a mix of copy statuses
The file is named Weeded SM Titles June 2023. Its table has a status column dated June 7, 2023 and contains both weeded and Not weeded entries. In library records, weeding means removing an item from the collection.
On page 3, Go Ask Alice and Looking for Alaska are marked Appeal and Not weeded. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian row reports removal on December 8, 2022, an appeal on December 20, and re-review and retention on May 24, 2023. Its status says Not weeded.
Across pages 1–2, the Glass entries include a copy marked lost and awaiting return before weeding. Page 2 also lists DSD Sora under Empire of Storms, and page 3 lists DSD Sora under The Bluest Eye. The table includes digital entries as well as physical copies.
These are the statuses reported in this table. Its filename cannot be used as a count of completed removals, and the table alone does not confirm later catalog or shelf status.
Weeded SM Titles June 2023, physical page 1
Weeded SM Titles June 2023, physical page 1. Full physical page, reproduced without annotations.
Original PDF SHA-256: 611454c94c462818df0702f91d60c8fab50d27481a738b6df9e201c6697d2143
Weeded SM Titles June 2023, physical page 2
Weeded SM Titles June 2023, physical page 2. Full physical page, reproduced without annotations.
Original PDF SHA-256: 611454c94c462818df0702f91d60c8fab50d27481a738b6df9e201c6697d2143
Weeded SM Titles June 2023, physical page 3
Weeded SM Titles June 2023, physical page 3. Full physical page, reproduced without annotations.
Original PDF SHA-256: 611454c94c462818df0702f91d60c8fab50d27481a738b6df9e201c6697d2143
Red, White & Royal Blue: read each vote field separately
The packet reports five of seven votes. Five rows answer Yes to the pornography question. Four explicitly say Removed, a fifth says “No reponse,” and two say No vote. The written rationale calls the committee unanimous that the book met the requirements for removal.
That description may refer to the five respondents. The table records neither seven removal votes nor dissent from the two nonvotes.
The determination is labeled November 7, 2022 and the rationale November 3. These labels describe different parts of the record; their different dates alone do not show an error.
A November 8 notice says principals and librarians had been directed to remove the book immediately. A November 15 reply reports a copy checked out and not yet weeded. The notice records a directive; the reply records a copy’s reported status afterward. Its later handling remains unresolved.
The packet prints an appeal window ending December 1, 2022 and includes an appeal row dated December 8. A related email dated December 8 forwards matching appeal text. The displayed email date tells us when that text was forwarded; the original submission date and formal acceptance remain unresolved.
6 Red White and Royal Blue Appeal Request, physical page 2
6 Red White and Royal Blue Appeal Request, physical page 2. Selected committee portion of the page. Requester or appeal text outside this excerpt is omitted; committee wording is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 92df49de27afb7e3fe7e7a6e063a08acbd31afc41a9de45b89e8193795e384c2
November 8, 2022 notice, physical page 1, body excerpt
November 8, 2022 notice, physical page 1, body excerpt. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 7a329a63cfdc14a94aa1205d2dfadb6c761413442350eba0b70c20723aef52c9
November 15, 2022 reply, physical page 1, first sentence
November 15, 2022 reply, physical page 1, first sentence. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: e18251cc5064793676ba6524e0534f6e021e001ae098bedcd332540874287371
Appeal packet, physical page 2, printed appeal window
Appeal packet, physical page 2, printed appeal window. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 92df49de27afb7e3fe7e7a6e063a08acbd31afc41a9de45b89e8193795e384c2
Appeal packet, physical page 2, appeal date column
Appeal packet, physical page 2, appeal date column. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 92df49de27afb7e3fe7e7a6e063a08acbd31afc41a9de45b89e8193795e384c2
Forwarded appeal email, physical page 1, message date
Forwarded appeal email, physical page 1, message date. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 36afa2690188ab027fd56857bc1c9420190dc2022ecd4901bf02d41081624f9b
The Kite Runner: two votes answer different questions
Vote 1 records four No and two Yes answers to the pornography question. Vote 2 records six Retained and six High School entries. Its Yes answers sit in the separate column asking about vulgarity or violence. Reading those answers as six pornography findings would combine different questions.
The determination header says May 30, 2023. Above the rationale, the packet says “05/26/2022 Retained in collection.” The packet does not explain the year difference. We preserve both labels rather than choose a corrected year.
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 2
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 2. Selected committee portion of the page. Requester or appeal text outside this excerpt is omitted; committee wording is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 77f16f814e60d08df5a7eb05c3e9e8c0324a5a08a18c6c94c9c5b01e7b1db852
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 3
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 3. Full physical page, reproduced without annotations.
Original PDF SHA-256: 77f16f814e60d08df5a7eb05c3e9e8c0324a5a08a18c6c94c9c5b01e7b1db852
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 4
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 4. Full physical page, reproduced without annotations.
Original PDF SHA-256: 77f16f814e60d08df5a7eb05c3e9e8c0324a5a08a18c6c94c9c5b01e7b1db852
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 5
22 The Kite Runner, physical page 5. Selected committee portion of the page. Requester or appeal text outside this excerpt is omitted; committee wording is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 77f16f814e60d08df5a7eb05c3e9e8c0324a5a08a18c6c94c9c5b01e7b1db852
Mueller Park: a removal request and a promised review
Ten challenge forms dated May 25, 2022 request removal and mark No when asked whether the requester examined the material in its entirety. Those are the answers recorded on the forms; they describe requests, not completed removal decisions.
The school’s response has no visible date. It says review will begin at the start of the 2022–2023 school year and that the committee will read the challenged materials in their entirety. It also offers a separate interim restriction for the parent’s own students. The letter records a promised process and an available option; it does not report a completed review.
Mueller Park challenge packet, physical page 1, date field
Mueller Park challenge packet, physical page 1, date field. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 9cd4597541c3ab892a4a53d297fb1672fa623adf83b7c42fb753d5e7c125dd13
Mueller Park challenge packet, physical page 1, request fields
Mueller Park challenge packet, physical page 1, request fields. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: 9cd4597541c3ab892a4a53d297fb1672fa623adf83b7c42fb753d5e7c125dd13
Undated Mueller Park response, physical page 1, body excerpt
Undated Mueller Park response, physical page 1, body excerpt. Selected portion of the original page. Text outside the excerpt is omitted; the wording shown is unchanged.
Original PDF SHA-256: d884d9cbe465adb93cb983e8e90aa99346a5b3d040e95eb6191acb1613ef3ade
Read the selected source pages
These are page images from the Davis collection supplied for this research. The descriptions identify the relevant clauses; each image preserves the surrounding page. The policy copies and training instructions describe different dates and stages.
Policy copy internally revised November 4, 2020, page 2
Section 4.1.3 keeps material in use during the challenge. Section 4.1.4 assigns reading of the entire work.
2020 policy copy, page 3
Sections 4.2.1 and 4.2.4 specify ten school days for appeal and full-work reading by the district committee.
September 2022 policy copy, page 6
Sections 4.5.1 and 4.7.1 retain equivalent access until final determination and give fifteen school days from website posting.
Policy copy internally revised September 6, 2023, page 7
Section 3.5.1 gives parental-permission status during further Standard review.
2023 policy copy, page 8
Section 3.7.1 gives thirty school days from website posting for an appeal.
Facilitator training, PDF page 8
The Roles and Responsibilities slide describes the initial challenged-page vote and the later full-work reading stage.
An appeal packet records more than one date
The Monday’s Not Coming packet labels its determination November 8, 2022, reports six of seven votes and marks “No” for committee reading. The table contains four remove entries, two retain entries and one nonvote; a November 21 rationale appears below it. The retained entries favor high-school access. These are the packet’s recorded fields, including the separate dates.
Monday’s Not Coming: committee fields and vote table, page 2
Selected lower portion of page 2. The preceding requester comments are omitted. The table shows four remove entries, two retain entries and one nonvote, followed by the separately dated rationale.
Original packet fingerprint: 989f06ff132ea6a727faa81bf21782f1cc67b517cafbdbeac401ae77a4f26cfe
The later April 18, 2023 appeal exhibit recommends junior-high and high-school retention, as described in the appeal history. An initial decision, a recommendation and board acceptance remain separate steps.
Review coverage
The October 15 review ledger has records for 577 file paths: 255 marked reviewed and 322 partial, with 528 still queued. The new packet and status-table observations have independent verification records. These are file-path counts, including duplicates; they are not counts of independent events or wholly reviewed unique documents.
Record details
The full source PDFs are retained in the research archive. This page reproduces selected policy and training pages, committee fields and status-table pages. Each new excerpt identifies its physical page and the original PDF fingerprint. Personal contact details and requester statements are omitted from the public excerpts.
- 4I-202 School Library Media Centers Approved Sep 2022.pdf, physical page 6:
be2b70810b7e3c9f2665ef8a8d0e0036937c3d820c76769da4894f50c3146927 - 4I-202SchoolLibraryMediaCenters Sept 2023.pdf, physical page 7:
a50648e41113030ee4a8828c3ecc9905257008492509795ede634051aaa28964 - 4I-202SchoolLibraryMediaCenters Sept 2023.pdf, physical page 8:
a50648e41113030ee4a8828c3ecc9905257008492509795ede634051aaa28964