Parent objects to required summer reading in advanced English course; district says cited chapters are skipped and will review

A parent at the Toms River board podium objected to a mandated summer reading assignment for Advanced Honors English II, saying the district‑required title includes material she found inappropriate for 14‑ and 15‑year‑olds and that parents had not been given a chance to review or opt out before the summer assignment was completed.

At the meeting, the commenter read aloud a passage and chapter heading from the book she identified as required: "Chapter 17: 'Accept sex.'" She told the board the material was part of required summer work for students seeking to take Advanced Honors English II and asked the board to review curriculum choices and consider parental notification or waivers for mandatory summer reads.

A district representative said the book named had been on the approved list "for some time" but that "the chapters that you refer to are skipped in most of the classes." The representative said district staff had reached out to parents and returned the matter to the appropriate committee for reevaluation because the material, as described by the commenter, was inappropriate for classroom use.

The transcript records the parent’s specific objection, the quoted chapter heading read into the record, and the district’s statement that most teachers skip those chapters and that the committee would review the issue. The meeting record does not show a formal vote on curriculum lists at this session nor a named, time‑bound directive to remove or replace the title.