Regulation IFA-R(1): Instructional Materials and Content

1. General Procedures

The local school administration and staff shall be responsible for implementing the established accounting system for keeping accurate records of textbook and media center inventories. The principal shall stress the need for textbook and media center accountability with staff members during preplanning and at other appropriate times during the year. It is important that the total staff understand the expectations relating to accountability for textbooks and media center materials.

The full responsibility for textbooks and media center materials, which are loaned by the school to students, rests with the students and their parents/guardians. Consequently, it is imperative that students and parents be made aware of the Board policy and regulations during the first week of school. New students and their parents/guardians shall be introduced to the policy and regulations at the time the students enroll.

1. Textbooks

2. Students who lose, destroy or otherwise damage textbooks shall be required to reimburse the DeKalb County Board of Education for the replacement value of the items.

3. Students who are not immediately able to pay for lost or damaged school property shall be allowed to pay incrementally or make restitution to the school in some other manner.

4. Students who return books that exhibit wear in excess of what could be attributed to normal use shall be assessed for damages. The charge for books so damaged will be left to the discretion of the teacher.

N – New at issue – full price

G – Good at issue – ¾ price

F – Fair at issue – ½ price

P – Poor at issue – ¼ price

B - Missing Bar Code Label - $5.00

1. All fines for lost or damaged textbooks must be paid for no later than the last instructional day of the school year.

2. Students who do not pay for a lost, destroyed, or damaged textbook shall not be issued another textbook in that content area. Students who have failed to make restitution to the DeKalb County Board of Education for lost, destroyed, or damaged textbooks will be allowed to use a copy of that textbook in the classroom only but not allowed to take the textbook from the classroom. Students shall have their report cards and/or certificates of promotion/diplomas withheld until restitution is made.

3. In the elementary, middle, and secondary schools, books are issued to the teachers with a record kept by the textbook coordinator. These records must be updated as books are returned and additional books checked out. Teachers shall be held accountable for each book they are issued.

4. Teachers must maintain accurate records of books issued to students. The TBS-1 and TBS-2 forms (pink sheets) used for this purpose must be kept up to date since they will be used to clear teachers’ records.

5. Textbooks that have been issued to teachers in class sets must be accounted for prior to the end of each class period. The principal must stress the importance of accountability in this area.

6. Teachers must conduct a book check prior to progress reports being issued and issue a “Lost/Damaged Textbook Accounting Form” to students missing textbooks.

7. All schools and centers will conduct a textbook check at the end of each semester and forward monies collected for lost and damaged textbooks to the textbook office.

8. Semester scheduling in the secondary schools requires that textbooks be collected at the end of each semester. A list of students failing to pay for lost of damaged books must be compiled and forwarded (by department) to the next semester teachers.

9. At the end of a school year, all textbooks are to be returned to central locations within the school. Teachers’ records shall be cleared when the receipt of all textbooks and pink slips indicating the names of students who lost books corresponds to the records of textbooks issued.

10. Media Center Materials

11. Students who lose, destroy, or otherwise damage media center materials shall be required to reimburse the DeKalb County Board of Education for the replacement value of the item.

12. The price charged for a lost book or other material shall be determined by the replacement value of the material. A processing charge of $1.00 shall also be assessed.

13. If the material was in very poor condition and so noted on the material’s record when checked out, the media specialist may use personal judgment in prorating the price to be charged.

14. In the media center, from which grades are not issued, students who owe for lost, destroyed, or damaged materials shall be denied the privilege of checking out additional materials until the school system is compensated. Students may continue to use the learning resources within the confines of the media center.

It is important that students, who owe for lost, destroyed or damaged materials not be denied the use of any leaning resources within the media center facility.

1. The media specialist shall follow all accountability procedures set forth by the Department of Student Information Systems, in cooperation with the Department of Educational Media, as follows:

2. Obtaining and reporting information on all students who have not compensated the school system for lost, destroyed, or damaged media center materials: and

3. Report the students who owe restitution to school personnel and notify parents/guardians at the time of grade reporting and/or the withdrawal of the student from school or system.

4. Procedures Related to Textbooks and/or Media Center Materials

5. Students who transfer out of the DeKalb County School System and have failed to compensate the DeKalb County Board of Education for lost, destroyed, or damaged textbooks and/or media center materials shall have their records withheld until the school receives a written request from a private or public school outside the DeKalb County School System. At the time of withdrawal from the DeKalb County School System, the principal or designee shall check to see if the transfer form for Elementary, Middle or the High School Withdrawal indicates an “all clear” status from classroom teachers and media specialists. If there is a problem, every effort must be made to clear the student’s record prior to the withdrawal. If the record is not cleared, it should be clearly marked with all information regarding the title, cost, etc. of the lost materials. Then, after receiving written request from a public or private school outside the DeKalb County School System, the school from which the records are requested shall mail the student records to the requesting school within 10 calendar days of the request.

6. Students who transfer within the DeKalb County School System and have failed to compensate the DeKalb County Board of Education for lost, destroyed, or damaged textbooks and/or media center materials will be given a completed Withdrawal/Transfer Form by the sending school. If there is a problem, every effort must be made to clear the student’s record prior to the withdrawal. If the record is not cleared, it should be clearly marked with all information regarding the title, cost, etc. of the lost materials. Then all such forms are to be examined by the receiving school, and if a transfer student is not in good standing, the classroom teacher and media specialist shall be alerted and given information on lost materials.

7. A transfer student who owes for a textbook shall not be issued another textbook in that content area until restitution is made.

8. Transfer students shall be denied the right to check out any materials from the media center if they owe for lost, destroyed, or damaged media center books and/or materials in their previous school. These students may continue to use the learning resources within the confines of the media center in the receiving school. It shall be the responsibility of the media specialist when alerted to enforce the prohibition against checking out materials until the account has been cleared.

9. Students in their final year in a school shall not be issued a certificate of promotion until their records have been cleared.

10. Restitution in Lieu of Monetary Payment

11. Students who are not financially able to pay for lost or damaged textbooks or media center materials shall be allowed to provide restitution in the form of voluntary service.

12. Any voluntary service shall have the prior approval of parents or guardians.

13. Refunds

14. A student shall be refunded the full amount paid for lost book(s)/material(s) upon return of the book(s)/material(s) in acceptable condition together with the receipt of payment, provided the request for refund is submitted prior to the closing of the local school financial records.

15. Students who provide voluntary service for restitution shall not be reimbursed for their service in the event that their book(s)/material(s) are found.

Cross Ref.: JS – Student Fees, Fines and Charges