The New York Civil Liberties Union writes to express concern over the Eastport-South Manor Central School District’s lack of transparency in response to our Freedom of Information Law request regarding the Board of Education’s vote to declare 14 books “obsolete.” The District’s incomplete and inconsistent responses to our FOIL request raise serious concerns about the integrity of its curriculum and book review process. In a time when ideological censorship threatens students’ rights, transparency, consistency, and predictability in curricular decisions is tantamount. The unexplained disposal of widely recognized works written by and about people of color sends a deeply troubling message to students and community members alike.
