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INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ADOPTION PUBLISHERS’ GUIDELINES

Outlined below are guidelines for publishers and their representatives whose instructional materials are being considered for adoption by the ɫ��������һ����������. It is important that these guidelines are followed closely to ensure an orderly and impartial instructional materials adoption process.

Guidelines for Publishers

1. The ɫ��������һ���������� is a closed district. Therefore, publishers may not have any contact with campus personnel, School Board members or administrators other than the central administration contacts listed on the Requests of Publishers under Consideration of Proclamation 2024 form.
2. Publishers will attend only districtwide textbook presentations that are initiated by central administration.
3. Publishers may not initiate or schedule appointments with members of the Board of Trustees, individual teachers, and/or campus or district staff.
4. Neither publishers nor their representatives may visit, contact, email or conduct presentations on individual campuses.
5. Individual or mass mailings, letters, emails or telephone communications from publishers are not permitted.
6. Any publisher violating district guidelines regarding the process may be barred or disqualified from participating.
7. Members of the DIMC and the assisting Curriculum & Instruction Department staff may not have received any remuneration during the past three years from any publisher submitting instructional materials for adoption in that particular subject area.
8. Publishers’ representatives may not initiate any other direct contact with AISD staff. Inappropriate direct contact may include:

• • Written, telephone, or electronic communication with a committee member at school or at home.
  • Providing gifts or any other forms of gratuity to a committee member.
  • Invitations to a committee member for any type of private meal or social function.

9. Publishers’ representatives may not contact schools or staff concerning Instructional Materials being considered for adoption nor conduct presentations on campuses. This rule applies to publishers included on the TEA-approved Instructional Materials adoption list in addition to publishers not on the list. The only exception to this rule is statewide mailings. These mailings are permitted except to DIMC members whose names must be deleted from the mailing list. The DIMC Steering Committee will serve as a liaison with publishers’ representatives.
10. All publishers are advised that any infractions of the above stated guidelines will result in a report being filed with the AISD Board of Trustees and TEA State Board of Education.
11. No publisher shall provide or offer a commission or rebate on any textbooks, electronic textbooks, instructional materials, or technological equipment used in the schools with which a Board member, administrator, or teacher is associated.
12. No publisher shall offer a Board member, administrator, or teacher any gifts, favor, or service that might reasonably tend to influence the Board member, administrator, or teacher in the selection of a textbook, electronic textbook, instructional material, or technological equipment.
13. “Gift, favor, or service” does not include:
    1. Staff development, in-service, or teacher training; or
    2. Instructional materials, such as maps or worksheets, that convey information to the student or otherwise contribute to the learning process. Education Code 31.152
14. Each publisher is responsible for submitting username/passwords to the district for consideration. Access to the online materials will be available for review on our secure district site (Curriculum Central). All electronic materials are considered samples and will be provided free of charge.
15. Publishers and their representatives will have an opportunity to participate in a publisher vendor fair to answer questions or describe materials for members of the DIMC. Publishers will bring materials and then collect and remove materials at the end of the evening.
16. Publishers and their representatives will have an opportunity to answer questions and present materials for selection to the DIMC.
17. Publishers are prohibited from discussing with district staff textbook voting-related decisions.

Electronic Instructional Materials

• Publishers that offer electronic instructional materials (e.g.,DVDs, or web-based instructional materials) for adoption are required to offer these materials in an accessible format in accordance with the technical standards of the Federal Rehabilitation Act, Section 508. The standards are available at .
• Web content in electronic materials adopted under Proclamation 2024 must be created to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, available at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ (TAC §66.28(a)(2)).
• Electronic instructional materials that are not compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, Level AA, or with technical standards of the Federal Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 will be removed from the EMAT system and will not be available to districts through TEA (TAC §66.28(a)(2)).

If you have questions related to publishers, publishers’ presentations, or the instructional materials adoption process, please email sstavenh@aisd.net