Redlands Unified to Vote Dec. 9 on Banning Black-Authored ‘Push,’ ‘The Bluest Eye’ Despite Review
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Redlands Unified's Board Room is located at 25 West Lugonia Avenue, Redlands.
On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., the Redlands Unified School District Board of Education will vote on whether to ban two critically acclaimed books, Push by Sapphire and The Bluest Eye by Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison.
Both titles, written by Black authors, were selected by credentialed district librarians. They have been subsequently challenged under the district’s newly revised Board Policy 1312.2.
While RUSD previously maintained a long-standing policy for reviewing challenged instructional materials, the policy was revised following a shift to a conservative majority on the Board. The district invested resources to assemble these committees, ensuring that the review process was thorough, balanced, and aligned with policy.
“These committees required both time and district funds to complete their work, and they recommended that these books remain available to students,” said a representative of Together for Redlands. “We urge the Board to respect the integrity of that process. Ignoring the committees’ findings would undermine the policy the Board adopted and waste valuable district resources.”
The meeting will take place in the RUSD Board Room at 25 West Lugonia Avenue in Redlands. Members of the public and press are encouraged to attend.
