UPDATE: Reconsideration Committees Complete Review Process 

You may remember, after there was concern from some community members regarding specific books in our school libraries, the Cabot School District announced on November 9, 2021 that the District would be implementing a reconsideration process on its own as the complainant. 

A separate reconsideration committee was assigned to review each book. Each committee  voted to retain its assigned title. 

As previously shared, public schools in Arkansas are required in statute to have a review process.  

Per the Cabot Public Schools Library Media Policies and Procedures section outlining the guidelines for book reconsideration:

• The Request for Reconsideration shall be referred to a Reconsideration Committee at the school level. The principal appoints committee members. The Committee shall be composed of a principal, teacher, two parents/community member and a library media specialist. The parents/community members will be chosen by a random draw from the Library Advisory Board. This board will be chosen by the Library Media Specialist at each school at the beginning of each school year. The library media specialist must be employed at another school within the district— not the library media specialist at the school where the complaint is lodged.

• The Reconsideration Committee must be formed within three school days from the date the formal complaint is lodged. Copies of the challenged title and reviews of the work will be distributed by the Library Media Specialist to the committee members by the third day. 

• A Reconsideration Committee meeting will take place within 15 school days of the lodging of the formal complaint. 

• The Reconsideration Committee shall examine the whole of the challenged material based on its merit and appropriateness for the intended educational use.

The district would like to thank the parents/community members that were willing to serve on these review committees.

The district wants to stress once more that parents DO have the right to choose and/or limit what their students can check out nor are students required to check out books from our library. Parents can request that their student(s) not check out certain titles and/or genres. Please contact your school’s media specialist via email regarding any questions.

District Media Specialists

Central Elementary -- Melissa Bulice -- melissa.bulice@cabotschools.org
Eastside Elementary -- Rachel Hammett -- rachel.hammett@cabotschools.org
Magness Creek Elementary -- Sara Adkins -- sara.adkins@cabotschools.org
Mountain Springs Elementary -- Kim Howey -- kim.howey@cabotschools.org
Northside Elementary -- Marcia Miller -- marcia.miller@cabotschools.org
Southside Elementary -- Melissa LeMay -- melissa.lemay@cabotschools.org
Stagecoach Elementary -- Liz Jones -- liz.jones@cabotschools.org
Ward Central Elementary -- Tereasa Noblin -- tereasa.noblin@cabotschools.org
Westside Elementary -- Amanda Taylor -- amanda.taylor@cabotschools.org
Cabot Middle School North -- Claressa Davis -- claressa.davis@cabotschools.org
Cabot Middle School South -- Karen Cambridge -- karen.cambridge@cabotschools.org
Cabot Junior High North -- Stephanie Lisk -- stephanie.lisk@cabotschools.org
Cabot Junior High South -- Holly Shannon -- holly.shannon@cabotschools.org
Cabot Freshman Academy -- Tiffinie Taylor -- tiffinie.taylor@cabotschools.org
Cabot High School -- Shannon Southard -- shannon.southard@cabotschools.org and
Jill Weir -- jill.weir@cabotschools.org
Academic Center of Excellence -- Principal, Carrie Lair -- carrie.lair@cabotschools.org