Parents, teachers and residents urge Guilford County Schools to restore removed children’s book

Public comment at the Guilford County Board of Education meeting on May 13 centered on the recent removal of the children’s book Tango Makes 3 from Summerfield Elementary’s classroom library and on how the district should apply North Carolina law when parents challenge materials.

Speakers told the board the book — a picture‑book account of two male penguins who raise a chick at New York’s Central Park Zoo — was removed after a complaint and outside pressure. Parents said the decision appeared to be made without a published district review process and pleaded with the board to restore the title and clarify how such decisions are reached.

The issue matters because speakers said it affects whether children see families like their own reflected in school materials and whether the district will follow a consistent, transparent review process going forward. Several speakers cited North Carolina’s Senate Bill 49 (commonly called SB 49) and said administrators had treated the law as a ban without explaining the district’s criteria.

Parent Emily Texeira told the board the letter that circulated in Summerfield praising the book’s removal came from an outside group and that the district has not provided “the criteria by which this book was deemed non‑compliant.” Brandon Daughtry, another parent, said removal was harming students who need to see their families in classroom books and argued the book simply tells a factual story about animal behavior.

Local educators also addressed the board. Heather Williams, an experienced literacy teacher, said Tango Makes 3 is appropriate for meeting early‑grade literacy and life‑science standards and cited research on how representative books support students’ mental health. Christine Burner, a Summerfield parent, said the book’s removal appeared to be “a quiet administrative reaction to pressure from an outside small group” rather than the result of a formal review.

Board members and district staff responded that they must follow state law and district policy while balancing transparency and legal risk. Several trustees said they want a clearer process and promised to work with staff to produce a transparent, consistent review procedure. Superintendent Whitney Oakley and other staff said they would examine the district’s approach and return with recommendations.

For now, the board did not take a vote to reinstate the book. Board members set a path to review policy and complaint procedures and invited additional public input. The district posted information about the complaint process and said the public would be updated when staff brought a formal recommendation back to the board.

Speakers

- Emily Texeira — Parent, resident of Summerfield (citizen) - Brandon Daughtry — Parent (citizen) - Heather Williams — Educator (citizen) - Christine Burner — Parent (citizen) - Dr. Whitney Oakley — Superintendent, Guilford County Schools (government) - Dina Hayes — Chairwoman, Guilford County Board of Education (government)

Authorities

- statute: "North Carolina Senate Bill 49 (SB 49, 2023)" — referenced_by: ["Emily Texeira","Christine Burner","public comments"]

Actions

- motion: "No formal motion to reinstate Tango Makes 3 or to adopt a new review policy this evening." mover: null, second: null, vote_record: [], outcome: "no_action", notes: "Board directed staff to return with a clearer process and to accept public input."

Discussion vs. decision

- discussion_points: ["Parents and teachers said Tango Makes 3 was removed after pressure from an outside group and without a transparent review process.","Speakers argued the book supports literacy and representation and does not violate SB 49.","District staff said they must comply with state law and review complaints."] - directions: ["Board requested staff draft a clear, public process for evaluating challenged materials and report back to the board.","Board opened a period for additional public input on review procedures."] - decisions: []

Clarifying details

- {"category":"book","detail":"Title challenged: Tango Makes 3 (children's picture book about two male penguins raising a chick)","value":"Tango Makes 3","source_speaker":"Emily Texeira"} - {"category":"law","detail":"Referenced statute","value":"North Carolina Senate Bill 49 (SB 49, 2023)","source_speaker":"Emily Texeira"} - {"category":"process","detail":"District will draft and publish a transparent review process for challenged materials; timeline not specified","source_speaker":"Board direction"}

Proper_names

[{"name":"Guilford County Schools","type":"agency"},{"name":"Summerfield Elementary","type":"school"},{"name":"Tango Makes 3","type":"other"},{"name":"Moms for Liberty","type":"organization"}]

Community relevance

- geographies: ["Summerfield","Guilford County"] - impact_groups: ["elementary school students","LGBTQ families","parents who request opt‑outs"]

Searchable_tags

["book challenge","Tango Makes 3","SB49","book banning","Summerfield Elementary","parent rights"]

Provenance

- topicintro: [{"block_id":"block_1290.405","local_start":0,"local_end":2657,"evidence_excerpt":"Good evening. My name is Emily Texierra and I live in Summerfield... This letter delivered to our homes celebrated the removal of Tango Makes 3...","tc_start":"1290.405","tc_end":"1355.27","reason_code":"topicintro"}] - topicfinish: [{"block_id":"block_12304.029","local_start":0,"local_end":2354,"evidence_excerpt":"I really would love to make a motion that we put that book back in that library...","tc_start":"12304.029","tc_end":"12331.569","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

Salience

{"overall":0.72,"overall_justification":"Several public commenters, educators and multiple board members discussed the item at length and asked staff for a policy review; the issue concerns state law and district review practice.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Affects district policy and students in Guilford County.","attention_level":"high","attention_level_justification":"Multiple public speakers and board members raised it during the meeting."}