Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-221bb: School library policies.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Library and other educational material” means any material belonging to, on loan to or otherwise in the custody of a school library media center, including, but not limited to, nonfiction and fiction books, magazines, reference books, supplementary titles, multimedia and digital material, software and other material not required as part of classroom instruction.

(2) “School library staff member” means a school library media specialist, school librarian, any certificated or noncertificated staff member whose assignment is in the school library or any individual carrying out or assisting with the functions of a school library media specialist or school librarian.

(3) “Individual with a vested interest” means any school staff member employed by a local or regional board of education, parent or guardian of a student currently enrolled in a school at the time a reconsideration form is filed under subsection (e) of this section and any student currently enrolled in a school at the time a reconsideration form is filed under subsection (e) of this section.

(4) “Remove” means deliberately taking library material out of a library's collection. “Remove” does not include the process of clearing such collection of any materials that are no longer useful.

(b) Each local and regional board of education, after consulting with the superintendent of schools, the director of curriculum and a librarian employed by such board, shall adopt a (1) collection development and maintenance policy, (2) library display and program policy, and (3) library material review and reconsideration policy. Each such policy shall ensure that all library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 10-15c, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability. In developing each such policy, the board shall have control over the content of each such policy, provided such policies are in accordance with the provisions of this section. Each local and regional board of education shall review, and update as necessary, each such policy every five years.

(c) The collection development and maintenance policy shall, at a minimum:

(1) Recognize that library and other educational materials should (A) be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all students, and (B) represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints in the collection as a whole;

(2) Require student access to age-appropriate and grade-level-appropriate material, and provide access to library and other educational material that is relevant to the research, independent reading interests and educational needs of students based on a student's age, development or grade level;

(3) Recognize the importance of the school library media center as a place for voluntary inquiry, the dissemination of information and ideas and the promotion of free expression and free access to ideas by students;

(4) Acknowledge that a school library media specialist is professionally trained to curate and develop a collection that provides students with access to the widest array of age-appropriate and grade-level-appropriate library and other educational material; and

(5) Establish a procedure for a certified school library media specialist to continually review library and other educational material within a school library media center using professionally accepted standards, which shall include, but need not be limited to, the material's relevance, physical condition of the material, availability of duplicates or copies of the material, availability of more recent age-appropriate or grade-level-appropriate material and continued demand for the material.

(d) The library display and program policy shall, at a minimum:

(1) Recognize that library displays should (A) be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all students, (B) represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints, (C) require student access to age-appropriate and grade-level-appropriate content, and (D) provide access to content that is relevant to the research, independent interests and educational needs of students;

(2) Recognize the importance of displays and student programs as resources for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas and to promote free expression and free access to ideas by students; and

(3) Acknowledge that a school library media specialist is professionally trained to curate and develop displays and programs that provide students with access to the widest array of age-appropriate and grade-level-appropriate library and other educational material.

(e) The library material review and reconsideration policy shall, at a minimum:

(1) Establish a process for individuals with a vested interest to challenge any library and other educational materials, display or student program;

(2) Limit consideration of requests to reconsider and remove material, displays or student programs to the parents and guardians of students and eligible students currently enrolled in the school or school district;

(3) Require that no library and other educational material, display or program shall be removed from library media centers, or programs be cancelled, because of the origin, background or viewpoints expressed in such material, display or program, or because of the origin, background or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display or program;

(4) Require that library and other educational materials, displays and student programs shall only be excluded for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards of collection maintenance practices as adopted in the collection development and maintenance policy or the display and program policy;

(5) Require that any process for petitioners to challenge any library and other educational material, display or student program shall neither favor nor disfavor any group based on protected characteristics;

(6) Provide for the creation of a request for reconsideration form that may be submitted by an individual with a vested interest to the principal of the school in which the library and other educational material is being challenged to initiate a review of such material. The form shall require such individual to specify which portion or portions of such material such individual objects to and provide an explanation of the reasons for such objection. Such individual shall not submit a request for reconsideration form without including such individual's full legal name, address and telephone number;

(7) Require the principal, or the principal's designee, to promptly forward the request for reconsideration to the superintendent of schools for the school district. The superintendent, or the superintendent's designee, shall appoint a review committee consisting of: (A) The superintendent, or the superintendent's designee, (B) the principal of the school in which the library and other educational material is being challenged, or the principal's designee, (C) the director of curriculum, or a person in an equivalent position, employed by such board, (D) a representative from the local or regional board of education, (E) at least one grade-level-appropriate teacher familiar with the library material, provided the teacher selected is not the individual who submitted the form, (F) a parent or guardian of a student age thirteen years or younger enrolled in the school district, provided the parent or guardian selected is not the individual who submitted the form, (G) a parent or guardian of a student age fourteen years or older enrolled in the school district, provided the parent or guardian selected is not the individual who submitted the form, and (H) a certified school librarian employed by such board or employed by another board of education in the state. In cases where such form is submitted by a student enrolled in grades nine to twelve, inclusive, and when appropriate and at the discretion of the superintendent, a student enrolled in grades nine to twelve, inclusive, may serve on the review committee if such student did not submit the reconsideration form, provided the superintendent consults with the principal of the school involved in such reconsideration request prior to making this determination whether to include such student on the review committee;

(8) Require that any library and other educational material being challenged remain available in the school library media center according to such material's catalog record and be available for a student to reserve, check out or access until a final decision is made by the review committee;

(9) Require the review committee to evaluate the request for reconsideration form, read the challenged material in its entirety, evaluate the challenged material against the school district's collection development and maintenance policy and make a written decision on whether or not to remove the challenged material not later than sixty school days from the date of receiving such request. The review committee shall provide a copy of the committee's decision and report to the individual with a vested interest who submitted the form and to the principal of the school;

(10) Permit the individual with a vested interest who submitted the request for reconsideration form to appeal the review committee's decision to the local or regional board of education for the school district. The board shall determine whether the reconsideration process was followed and publish the decision on the Internet web site of the school district;

(11) Provide that once a decision has been made by the review committee on any library and other educational material, such material cannot be subject to a new request for review and reconsideration for a period of three years;

(12) Permit a school district to consolidate any requests for review and reconsideration of the same challenged library and other educational material; and

(13) Prohibit the removal, exclusion or censoring of any book on the sole basis that a person with a vested interest finds such book offensive.

(f) Any school library media specialist or school library staff member who, in good faith, implements the policies described in this section shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding that results from such implementation.

(g) Each local and regional board of education shall make the (1) collection development and maintenance policy, (2) library program and display policy, and (3) library material review and reconsideration policy adopted under this section available on the board's or governing body's Internet web site, or, if no such Internet web site exists, inside the school library or included as part of such school library's policy manual.