Wes Bowers, Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif.
·4 min read
Jun. 12—The Lodi Unified School District will now give families the option to determine whether certain reading materials are appropriate for their children.
Several community members voiced concern over a recently-formed book review committee's decision to remove two books from the district's curriculum during last week's board of education meeting.
This week, Superintendent Neil Young said that the committee — made up of six district employees and two parents — did not have the authority to make any determination about the books under Board Rule 1312.2.
The rule states that the committee will review materials in question and determine whether or not it supports the curriculum, the educational appropriateness, and its suitability for the age level of the student.
The committee must summarize its findings in a written report within 30 days of being convened.
The report will be submitted to the superintendent, who then has 15 days to notify the individual who lodged a compliant against the material, according to policy.
"Ultimately, as the superintendent of Lodi Unified School District, it is my responsibility to ensure transparency and trust between our school district and our community," Young said. "Unfortunately, this situation has eroded that trust. For that, I sincerely apologize."
Young said that for the 2024-25 school year, families will have a new option in the Aeries access portal — the district's student information tool — to determine the level of access for their own high school students.
The option will read "Student access to the entire high school library collection of young adult (14+) and adult level books that may contain mature topics, graphic violence, vulgar language, and/or sexual content."
Families will then click on the "Allow" or "Deny" options for the materials, Young said.
"Our district recognizes the importance of parental and familial involvement in their children's education," he said. "We also recognize that our district is full of diverse thoughts and beliefs. By offering this new opt out feature, we hope to strengthen trust between our district and our community."
According to district staff, the committee was tasked with reviewing three books last week, including Sapphire's "Push" and Kacen Callender's "This is Kind of an Epic Love Story," both of which community members who spoke during last week's board of education meeting said had been banned.
"Push" details the struggles of Clarieece "Precious" Jones, a 16-year-old African American girl who suffered emotional and sexual abuse. The book was included in the 2017 advanced placement English Literature and Composition exam, and was the basis for the 2009 film "Precious."
"This is Kind of an Epic Love Story" is about a young man who realizes he has feelings for his former best friend, also a young man.
In February, a parent raised concern about "Push," counting 270 instances of vulgar language or sexual references and claiming the novel constitutes child p*rnography.
The parent also thought a page in "This is Kind of an Epic Love Story" was a little too graphic, as it describes the main character engaging in sexual activity with his male best friend.
Community members cited both district and California Department of Education Policy during last week's board meeting, the former of which states "no parent has the right to determine reading, viewing or listening matter for students other than his or her own child."
The CDEs policy states "the right to not read a selected text does not mean one can prevent others from reading that text."
Scott Roark, a CDE spokesman, told the News-Sentinel said that materials in a school's library fall under the purview of a district's local educational agency (school district), but each district should have their own selection policies that cover elements such as selection criteria, who is responsible for material selection, and selection aid like professional reviews or second-hand evaluations.
The CDE also has recommended literature list, which can be found at www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/rl.
Neither "Push" or "This is Some Kind of Epic Love Story" appear on the current list.
Board president Gary Knackestedt said the district's latest response was a step in the right direction.
"I think we're coming up with a pretty good procedure in which people can check out the various books in question," he said. "This is a hot topic being discussed all across the country. And if we have a process that allows people to (opt out), it's a good idea."
If parents have any questions about materials, they can email communications@lodiusd.net or contact their child's school, Young said.
