Superintendent lifts parental-permission restriction on children’s book after board debate and public outcry

Superintendent Dr. Ross removed an administrative restriction placed on the children’s book I Am Billie Jean King, saying he would “rescind the parent permission requirement effective immediately.” The book had been placed in the district’s Destiny library system with a note that parents should be involved if a child requested it.

The decision and the reversal followed an extended discussion at the Lexington-Richland School District Five board meeting and more than a dozen public speakers who said removal or special permission for the book amounted to viewpoint discrimination. Several speakers urged the district to restore the title to classroom and school library shelves without additional conditions.

Dr. Ross told the board he had reviewed the book under board policy IJL, which he said gives administrators three review criteria: age and developmental appropriateness, educational suitability and alignment with state instructional programs. He described the…