Complaint to the California Department of Education alleges Chino Valley Unified School District’s Library Media Centers policy has been used to disproportionately target books by and about LGBTQ+ people and people of color, in violation of students’ constitutional and civil rights.
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LOS ANGELES, August 18, 2026—Parents Kristi Hirst and Tracie Perez filed a complaint this week with the California Department of Education (CDE) alleging that Chino Valley Unified School District’s (the “District”) book removal policy violates students’ First Amendment rights, due process rights, and California civil rights law. The complaint, filed by Public Counsel on their behalf, asks the CDE to invalidate the policy, investigate its implementation by the District, and order an immediate halt to further book removals while the investigation proceeds.
District policy no. 6163.1(d) Library Media Centers, adopted in October 2023 by the Chino Valley Unified School District Board, allows books alleged to contain “sexually obscene content” to be pulled from school library shelves within three days of a single complaint regarding a book, at which point the Board is required to hold a public hearing to determine if the book should be removed permanently.
The District has implemented policy no. 6163.1(d) in a manner that violates California law prohibiting school districts from restricting access to classroom and library materials on discriminatory grounds, including because materials contain perspectives or portrayals of people based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics. The large majority of books removed by the District feature LGBTQ+ characters, were written by LGBTQ+ authors, or address race, ethnicity, or gender — while a complaint about the Bible’s sexual content did not result in its removal. Books pulled from all Chino Valley school sites include It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris, Push by Sapphire, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and titles by Ellen Hopkins and Sarah Maas.
Furthermore, the District has evaded public scrutiny of its policy implementation by removing books in violation of the procedures set forth in the policy. In violation of policy no. 6163.1(d), the District has repeatedly removed library books without any public hearings, thereby depriving the public of a meaningful opportunity to challenge these book bans.
“My kids go to school in this district, and I’ve watched books disappear from their libraries without any explanation or public review. Every student needs access to books that reflect their own lives and experiences, and to have books and educational materials that are vetted and approved by librarians and experts, not politicians and outside special interest groups,” said Kristi Hirst, a parent of three children in the District.
“Chino Valley Unified School District has weaponized its Library Media Centers policy to remove books based on LGBTQ+ themes and other protected characteristics in violation of state and federal law,” said Beth Graves Meyerhoff, attorney with Public Counsel, counsel for the complainants. “We’re asking the California Department of Education to investigate and ensure the District follows the applicable laws.”
The complaint asks the CDE to: invalidate the Board policy, investigate its implementation by the District, order an immediate halt to further book removals pending the investigation’s outcome, require the District to publicly disclose all books removed to date, and return to library shelves any books removed under the policy.
A copy of the complaint is available upon request.
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