Citrus County Schools

The Florida Department of Education has directed districts not to adopt materials containing Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  The Citrus County School District will continue to provide instruction on important topics such as character development education, positive behaviors, and to support mental health education to comply with Florida State Statute 1003.42.  Our District Student Services and Educational Services Departments have created district lessons that incorporate the topics above.  These lessons are being shared with our schools for teachers to use in the classroom.  We will continue to comply with the legislative requirement to teach character development education and mental health.

The Florida Department of Education requires certain annual reporting and planning from school districts on components of section 1003.42(2), Florida Statutes. In accordance with 6A-1.094124 Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), the Citrus County Schools report can be viewed on the Florida Required Instruction Reporting Portal.
2024-2025 Report

Elementary School Instructional Material Listing

Middle School Instructional Material Listing

High School Instructional Materials Listing

Public Portal (classlink.com)

The attached two documents show the process to object to instructional materials and the objection form to complete.

Specific Instructional and Media Materials Objection Form (2023-11-16)

4.21 Appeals Process Flow Chart for Instructional Materials Challenges

Process for Media Materials Objection

Specific Media Material Objections

Citrus County School Board Policy Manual

Section 0004 - Curriculum and Instruction Educational Media Materials Selection 4.22

Adopted April 11, 2023

VI. Challenged Media Materials. Library materials deemed by some persons to be objectionable may be considered by others to have sound educational value. Any concerned parent/guardian, Citrus County resident or employee of the district may request reconsideration of school library media; however, the challenged material may be removed from circulation, at the discretion of the Superintendent, or designee, during the reconsideration process. When a complaint is made, the following procedure shall be followed:

1. The library media specialist shall discuss the matter informally with the complainant explaining the selection procedures for library media materials. If the complainant accepts the explanation given by the media specialist, the reconsideration process concludes.
2. If the explanation fails to resolve the objection, the Principal will ask the complainant initiating the challenge to file, within two weeks, a formal written objection by completing a “Request for Reconsideration of Library Media” form which must reflect that the complainant has read the material in full. Failure to do so results in the conclusion of the reconsideration process.
3. The complainant will be provided with the District’s policies and procedures for the selection of media materials. The Principal or designee will explain the use of the material in the instructional curriculum and answer questions from the individual.
4. If the issue is not resolved at the conference, the complainant will be provided with the form to file a written objection and an explanation of the process that will be followed.
5. Within ten (10) business days of such filing, parent(s)/guardian(s) of other students in the class(es) involved or potentially affected in that school shall be notified in writing by the Principal that a challenge has been initiated.
6. School-level Media Appeals Committee. The appeals committee for this process will be a subgroup consisting of members of the School Advisory Committee (SAC), as defined by Florida Statutes, and a media specialist. School board members will recuse themselves. The Principal shall notify the Superintendent or designee of the meeting of the appeals committee.
7. Challenged materials shall be read and re-evaluated by the committee, considering the specific objections raised. The committee shall report its decision within fifteen (15) business days. The committee recommendations shall address whether the challenged material is consistent with the selection criteria outlined herein. The committee shall have no authority to determine curriculum. Within ten (10) business days of receiving the recommendations of the committee, the Principal shall make a decision whether to retain the material or remove the material. The Principal shall take into account the committee’s recommendations when making his/her decision.
8. The complainant shall be informed in writing concerning the Principal’s decision.

1. If the Principal determines the challenged material be retained, the complainant shall be notified in writing within five (5) business days. The complainant shall be given a copy of the decision of the committee’s decision and a copy of the procedures for filing an appeal.
2. If the Principal determines that the challenged material be removed, then the complainant, the media specialists at all like levels of schools and lower, and the district administrator of media programs shall be notified in writing within five (5) business days of the decision at the same time the decision will be referred to the District’s Instructional Material Review Committee.

1. District-Level Appeals. An appeal of a Principal’s determination to retain challenged materials must be filed with the Principal within five (5) business days of notification of that determination and shall include a specific statement of the complainant's grounds for disagreement with the Principal's determination.

1. A district level committee shall be appointed by the Superintendent or designee. The committee’s recommendations shall be submitted to the Superintendent within fifteen (15) business days. A committee member shall not be selected from the school where the challenged materials originated. The district level committee will include a variety of stakeholders including district level staff members, a Principal, teachers, media specialists, the district administrator for media, and parents.
2. The committee’s review shall be treated objectively, unemotionally, and in a businesslike manner and shall be conducted in the best interest of the students, the school, and the community.
3. The complainant shall be informed, in writing, in fifteen (15) business days after the committee’s recommendation is received by the Superintendent.

10. A School Board appeal may be requested by the complainant when the school and district-level appeals do not satisfactorily resolve the concerns. The School Board shall review recommendations from the school and district-level committees and shall render the final decision on the complainant’s concern. The decision of the School Board regarding appropriateness of a particular Library Media material item will be considered final.
11. The decision to remove challenged material from use shall, unless otherwise determined by the School Board, be effective at the grade level at which the material is in use and all lower grades.

Specific Material Objection Form
District Media Materials Contact: Kathy Androski, Director of Technology