A community group complained Tuesday night, March 12, about sexual and violent content in several books on the library shelves of Redlands campuses, asking the school board to create a policy to protect children.
The targeted titles include “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison; “Beyond Magenta,” by Susan Kuklin; “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick; “Lucky,” by Alice Sebold; and “Tricks,” by Ellen Hopkins.
RELATED: Redlands school board to discuss possible book ban
However, most who spoke at the meeting opposed any policy to limit or ban library books in the Redlands Unified School District. And school trustees and board members said they already have rules in place for parents to challenge books.
Those concerned about the content of the books cited the sexual nature of some of them, with a few speakers labeling the books as “pornography.”
Some added that they did not think students should be subjected to the sensitive topics in these books, which they said include discussions of incest, sexual exploration, prostitution, rape and sexual abuse — regardless of the context.
“The Bluest Eye” was brought up because of its depiction of childhood sexual abuse. “Beyond Magenta” was cited for its discussion of LGBTQ youths and their paths to sexual identity. “Sold,” speakers said, is an account of a sexual slavery. “Lucky” was cited for its depiction of trauma and rape and “Tricks” because it features rape, sexual exploration and prostitution.
Redlands parent Candy Olson spoke, and one of her comments drew a few astonished laughs from others.
Olson is backed by supporters from Awaken Redlands, a group of parents and community members focused on “preserving traditional values” in the city.
“No one wants to ban books,” Olson said. “Let’s just get that straight for the record. We don’t want to force our beliefs on others. You are all free to read pornography as much as you like, obscene content as much as you like to your children at home.”
But the school board did not propose or discuss implementing a ban. Members did discuss challenged books that have been reviewed by a committee. Trustees added that parents can request that their kids not check out certain books from the library.
“I also trust our staff and librarians to know what books are allowed to be in our libraries,” board member Jim O’Neill said at the meeting. “Because there is a list that comes from the state department of education.”
O’Neill also said that Redlands parents should be involved in their children’s lives and their relationship with books, even “controversial” ones.
Board members said they may look into streamlining that process, but no policy changes were made or proposed Tuesday.
The district’s policy for “book challenges” begins with a review by the principal. If the principal decides to keep a book in the library, then a complaint can be filed and a committee will review the book and make a decision, Superintendent Juan Cabral said.
Board meetings in Redlands have been polarizing in the past and included discussions on pride flags in schools and how the district has handled sex-abuse investigations over the years.
Tensions have grown between community groups and parents sharing differing opinions toward books in school libraries. The same group at the Tuesday meeting has been vocal at past meetings, where they previously protested pride flags displayed in Redlands classrooms.
Awaken Redlands has been opposed at meetings by another organization, Safe Redlands Schools, a group of “antifascist parents organizing for student and community safety.”
Joshua Hall, a Redlands resident, said the books were not suitable for students.
“If we were to pull every pornographic book that has sexual explicit material from the school district,” Hall said at the meeting, “you can still go to the Smiley Library and rent them.”
Speaking directly after Olson, but on the other side of the argument, Josephine Swanson, a third-year education major at UC Riverside, said she started her education in Redlands Unified.
“I do remember ‘Fahrenheit 451,’” Swanson said. “And while it has been seven years since I read it, I do remember that the main point was the people banning and burning the books were not the victims.”
Samantha Trad, also a former Redlands student and now a district parent, said some of the books people were looking to remove from the library are books that affected her life in a positive way.
“The way that they talk about it, you would think there is Hustler and Playboy at the Redlands High School library and I just don’t think that it’s there,” Trad said.
The books are there in schools for a reason, she added, citing a separation of church and state.
Redlands is not the only school district to see such a debate over books.
The Chino Valley Unified School District board in October wanted to introduce more measures to control the books available to students. In November, the school board approved a revision to its library policy, allowing books to be pulled from the shelf for complaints about sexually explicit content.
A similar issue arose in Temecula schools, where in December the school board voted to ban pornography, erotica and “inappropriate vulgarity or profanity” from instructional materials.
Led by what was then a conservative majority, the Temecula Valley Unified School District board voted 3-2 on a revised policy. It prohibits, in part, depictions of sexual violence and “inappropriate vulgarity or profanity, or other obscene material.” It also calls for learning materials to be “educationally suitable.”
Earlier in 2023, a Temecula parent complained that her teenage daughter had read the play “Angels in America” for a drama class. The drama, which explores the AIDS epidemic and homosexuality in the 1980s, contains sex scenes, profanity and adult themes.
Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” has been a familiar title in book ban discussions.
In 2020, the Colton school board lifted a ban previously put on Toni Morrison books.
And, in mid 2023, the Bonita school board decided to keep “The Bluest Eye” on library shelves.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jim O’Neill.
