Two books that highlight police violence and racial discrimination were removed from a required reading list for Signal Mountain Middle-High School students after parents raised concerns, officials say.
On Friday, the school’s seventh-grade literature teacher emailed parents telling them to not purchase “All American Boys” and “Monster” – both of which have African American males as protagonists. The literature was previously part of the school’s Finding Perspective book club list.
“In an effort to maintain our safe classroom community, I will be removing ‘All American Boys’ and ‘Monster’ from the book club list,” the teacher said in the email. “If you have already purchased either book, I apologize for the hassle this has caused you. Both books contain mature content that not every student will be comfortable reading.”
The email went on to suggest that books with such content might be suitable for students elsewhere in Hamilton County, but not in Signal Mountain.
“Generally, Hamilton County gives us texts that are blanket texts for all students in our schools. While the reading level of the book is accessible to seventh-grade students, the content in the books may be inappropriate for some of our students,” the email said. “While a shock to us, the books may be relatable and important to other students in our county.”