OCEANSIDE - Community members are calling for the removal of several books from the Oceanside Unified School District libraries and many of them have to do with LGBT topics.
Tuesday night's school board meeting erupted with calls to get rid of the books, but its unclear what the specific issue is with each title.
"If you think these books are so great, then bring 'em in," one community member said. "Bring all eleven, defend every book, tell us why that book should be in our schools."
The Oceanside Superintendent said half of the books have been in the library system for years, long before any of the current school board members began their tenure. Those who attended the meeting say some of the people trying to get rid of the books aren't even from Oceanside or don't have kids in the district. Others at the meeting support having the books in the library and were waving signs in support of LGBT youth.
"I trust the educators that have vetted the literature in our district," one parent said. "These are educated professionals who have devoted their career to literature and instructing children."
The district does have a formal policy of challenging books and materials but says no challenges have been filed. The district also says it has a policy to allow parents to prevent their kids from checking out certain books from the campus libraries.
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