One picture book tells the story of a boy who gets teased at school for wanting to wear jewelry and nail polish, but finds acceptance from his family. Another is about a crayon labeled as red that is really blue.
But when Feldman dropped off books last year in Solana Beach — a north county district of 2,800 students in kindergarten through sixth grade — at a teacher’s request, that was when the books received a less-than-enthusiastic response, she said. Schools and libraries received at least 730 reported challenges to about 1,600 books last year, most of them books about LGBTQ or Black people, according to the. That’s the highest number in any one year since the association began tracking book challenges two decades ago.
In the past, Brentlinger said, Solana Beach parents have submitted requests to restrict their own kids from reading books involving subjects like witchcraft, including Harry Potter books, or “potty language,” including the Captain Underpants graphic novel series. She could not say how many requests the district has received in the past.
The district policy also designates a so-called “professional bookshelf” in each library for books on sensitive topics — such as human anatomy, divorce, terminal disease and death — that require parental consent for use with students, Brentlinger said. Trained teachers decide what goes on these bookshelves.Some parents have hailed Solana Beach’s school library policy for letting them decide what their kids can and can’t read.
Other parents worry that letting parents restrict access to LGBTQ-affirming books could cost vulnerable students a needed source of representation and validation. They also say the books’ opponents are misunderstanding and overreacting. But Fleming worries that if one parent asks to opt their child out of a book used in a classroom, it could prevent a teacher from using the book for the rest of the class.
Solana Beach is 89% white, and men make more than twice the salary women do. More than 50% of its 13,000 residents attend church.