The Redlands school board will take a second look Tuesday, Aug. 5, at a policy that would make it easier to take sexually explicit books off library shelves.
The Redlands Unified School District board is expected to discuss revising its proposed library materials policy after putting it on hold last month.
The revision includes definitions of what the board is looking to ban, including sexually explicit and obscene materials.
Sexually explicit content is described as material created with the primary intent of sexual arousal and lacking in lacking significant educational, literary, or artistic value. Obscene material is defined as content that meets the legal or community standard of being sexually offensive.
The books would be examined using a ratings system that would judge books by several criterion for a total of 35 potential points.
There are four categories under which books can fall. The lower the number of points between 0 and 10 means the fewer examples a book either contains of sexually explicit or obscene material. A book that is scored as 10 or below would remain on the shelf. If a book falls between 30 and 35 points, it has scored high in several categories and would be immediately pulled from library shelves.
The original policy was introduced at a March school board workshop.
The board moved forward with the policy in June and discussed it again on a second reading in July but ultimately voted to send it back to officials for revisions.
At the board’s July 8 meeting, board President Michele Rendler was the deciding vote to send the policy back. Rendler said she wanted district officials to define terms such as “pornography,” and to create a rubric from which the district would operate.
Under the proposed library policy, if a book is “perceived” as sexually explicit by a member of the public, it would be removed within three days and be subject to a school board hearing within 45 days.
In March 2024, the Chino Valley Unified School District board approved a proposal to make it easier to get books with sexually explicit material off shelves.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the board room at district headquarters, 25 W. Lugonia Ave.
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