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Parents Fault Library, Supplementary Materials as Board Confirms Core Texts' Sufficiency
Summary
Parents criticized several classroom and library books as sexually explicit and age-inappropriate; the board voted to adopt its annual resolution that core textbooks and instructional materials meet state sufficiency standards while staff said the resolution applies only to core, standards-aligned materials, not optional supplements.
A wave of public commenters on Sept. 24 urged the Redondo Beach Unified School District board to remove several supplemental and library books they described as sexually explicit and inappropriate for middle-school students, but the board voted to adopt its annual resolution declaring the district's core textbooks and instructional materials sufficient under state law.
Mo'Nique Grant, a parent who provided an advanced written request to speak, said books she found on classroom and library shelves at Adams Middle School contained repetitive explicit language and depictions she described as "highly explicit, obscene, pornographic and harmful to minors," listing examples including sexual activity, references to self-harm and drug use. "This is sexualizing, grooming, indoctrinating and violating my daughter's rights," Grant said during public comment, and she cited multiple Education Code sections.
Dr. Wesley, the district superintendent, responded during the board's discussion that the board-adopted resolution reflects the state-required annual finding under Education Code section 60119 that core, standards-aligned textbooks and instructional materials are sufficient for each student. "These are the core curriculum materials," the superintendent said, adding that supplemental materials have separate approval processes handled at the site level and that the district will review and, if necessary, remove inappropriate supplemental items.
Board members voted to adopt Resolution R24-25 COL07 certifying the sufficiency of the district's core instructional materials after the public hearing; the resolution covers mathematics, science, social science, English language arts and other core subjects rather than optional classroom supplements or individual teachers' supplemental selections. The board also agreed to continue reviewing procedures for supplemental and library materials and to improve communication with school-site administrators and staff so that newly hired staff understand approval processes.
Parents who spoke at the meeting urged faster local action and clearer signage about materials available in classrooms and libraries. "When you see something, you need to step up," one commenter said. District staff reiterated they will investigate allegations about specific materials and remedy any items found to be inappropriate for the relevant grade levels.
The board's adoption of the sufficiency resolution does not, by itself, endorse every supplemental title in school libraries, district officials said; it affirms that the district's core, standards-aligned textbooks meet the statutory sufficiency definition and that optional materials are subject to school and district review processes. The board closed the public hearing and approved the resolution during the meeting, which included multiple other agenda items and public comments.
