Redlands Unified removes Push, restricts The Bluest Eye

Updated Dec. 10, 2025 — This story has been updated with full meeting coverage following the board’s votes.

REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands Unified school board voted Tuesday to remove Push by Sapphire from high school libraries and impose new age-and-parental-consent restrictions on Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.

Why it matters: This decision, the first under the new instructional materials challenge policy, will shape how the district navigates future book challenges. It will also influence what qualifies as “harmful” material for teens and set a precedent for how much authority librarians, parents and board members have over students’ reading choices. 

The discussion also underscores statewide pressure on school districts following California’s AB 1078, which prohibits removing instructional materials based on protected characteristics.

Details: Tuesday’s votes were the culmination of the district’s new review process (AR 1312.2), adopted for the 2025–26 school year.

Under the policy, when a complaint is filed, principals must remove a book from circulation within three business days while a district-level committee evaluates it using a five-part rubric measuring explicit sexual content, depictions of sexual violence, contextual purpose, age suitability and potential negative impact on students

Lower scores signal appropriateness while higher scores indicate concern. 

For The Bluest Eye, one committee member supported no action while two recommended parental consent restrictions. All three reviewers recommended keeping the book Push with restricted access. 

None of the reviewers recommended full removal for either title. The original complainant, however, appealed both decisions, sending the books to the board for a public hearing. 

After a lengthy debate, the board voted to remove Push from all school libraries in a 3-2 vote. Vice President Patty Holohan and board member Melissa Ayala-Quinerto opposed removal.

In a 5-0 vote, it was decided to have The Bluest Eye be restricted with an added requirement that only students 18 or older with parental consent can check out the book. 

What they’re saying: Speakers lined up to speak on both sides of the issue, with the public comment period lasting nearly an hour and a half.

Citrus Valley High librarian Gina Porter described Morrison’s novel as a transformative work. “If you've ever read this book, you would see that it is a beautifully written piece of literature that employs numerous, complex literary devices that are meant to challenge readers to their fullest potential,” she said. “Removing this book from our libraries is a disservice.”

Porter also noted that the book has been in district libraries since at least 1997 without issue and has historically been included on the AP Literature exam. 

Another librarian urged board members to trust the district's review committee, which had already evaluated the books and recommended they remain available.

Several speakers also reminded the board that parents already have the ability to block their own children’s access to particular library titles — a policy the board approved last year.

Others, however, argued that while the themes deserve attention, they do not belong in a school setting. One resident listed topics contained in the books — “pedophilia, incest, rape, prostitution, sex trafficking of children” — and said, “Should these matters be addressed and discussed? Of course. But not by children. The job of responsible adults is to protect children from these things, not to immerse children in them.”

Ayala-Quintero defended the literary value of the challenged works. “These works, while difficult, are powerful social commentaries, not blueprints for harmful behavior,” she said, adding that library materials are optional resources, not required reading. “Restricting access to complex, challenging literature diminishes the educational depth and intellectual freedom available to our students.”

Holohan also pushed back against efforts to overturn the committee’s work. “I am thoroughly disgusted that we are having to do this,” she said. “We have the most amazing librarians… certified librarians — and they look at everything that we do. To come here and tell them with the work that they’ve done that we don’t appreciate it is terrible… Parents can opt out.”

Board member Jeannette Wilson emphasized concerns about adolescent development and student vulnerability: “I do not feel this book should be available to high school students… we're talking about teens whose brain is not fully developed,” she said. She added that exposing foster youth — who face higher rates of sexual trauma — to depictions of rape and incest “could basically compound their PTSD.”

Board President Michele Rendler supported the removal of Push, arguing the material is inappropriate for all minors. “This book is not appropriate for any student in any of our schools,” she said, noting most adults she spoke with said they read it only in college or their 20s. “It doesn’t belong in our K–12 public schools.”

Moving forward: Under district policy, Push must be removed from all campuses within five business days. Restrictions on The Bluest Eye take effect immediately.

Originally published Dec. 9 at 22:18.