16 NCAC 06D .0212         Textbook Publishers Registry

(a)  Publishers who submit textbooks for adoption shall register with the Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Publisher registration information shall include:

(1)           the publisher's name;

(2)           the publisher's president's or proprietor's name and address, including email address;

(3)           the names of all agents authorized to represent the publisher in North Carolina; and

(4)           the name, title, address, email address and telephone number of the publisher's preferred agent contact.

(b)  Each publisher piloting textbook materials being submitted for consideration in the current adoption year shall notify the Textbook Commission, in writing, which materials are being piloted and in which local education agencies materials are being piloted. The Textbook Commission shall notify all local superintendents involved in piloting textbook materials prior to the end of the textbook selection process that the materials they are piloting may or may not be accepted by the Commission.

(c)  Publishers shall not exercise undue pressure on members of the Textbook Commission, the State Board of Education, evaluation advisors, or DPI staff involved in the textbook submission, evaluation, or adoption process.

(1)           For purposes of this Rule, "undue pressure" means personal contact, whether in person, by telephone, or in written form, that advocates for the selection of a particular book or series of books. "Undue pressure" does not include social contact or presentations to the Textbook Commission as a whole, and does not include written communication with Textbook Commission members or State Board of Education or DPI officials following acceptance or rejection of a submission in an effort to seek clarification or reconsideration.

(2)           The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall remove from the NC Publishers Registry any publisher whose agents exercise undue pressure upon a member of the Textbook Commission, the evaluation advisors, or DPI staff.

(3)           The State Board of Education shall direct the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to remove from the NC Publishers Registry any publisher whose agents exercise undue pressure upon a member of the State Board of Education.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 115C-12; 115C-89;

Eff. January 1, 2021.