The book in question is Blended, by Sharon Draper, a National Teacher of the Year and Ohio’s Outstanding High School Language Arts educator. A parent of a student at Wrightsboro Elementary is contesting the book.
Blended is not currently being taught in the classroom and is not in the school’s main library (records indicate there was a copy that has since been “lost”). According to documents provided by NHCS, the “lost” book was initially purchased with Title I funds as a social-emotional learning book for 3rd to 5th graders.
However, there are copies in some classroom libraries, which individual teachers curate.
Blended is about Isabella, an 11-year-old girl with a White mother and a Black father. Early in the book, her parents get a divorce, but then decide to remarry. Isabella navigates these new relationships also while gearing up for her classic piano recital. She deals with some incidents of racism in school, but also learns about the writing techniques of famous Black writers, including Jason Reynolds. The end of the novel culminates in a racial profiling incident with police. During a traffic stop, Isabella is shot by an officer. She recovers and becomes a spokesperson for police reform.
The parent took issue with the maturity level of the subject matter, accused the author of “taking liberties” by injecting an incident of racial tension into the book, and voiced concerns about how the scene where Isabella is shot by an officer would impact real-world relationships between students and school resource officers (SROs).
A school-level committee rejected the initial challenge, saying the book could stay there. The parent wasn’t satisfied with the decision, so they appealed to the district committee.
This is similar to the procedure a parent used to challenge Jason Reynolds’ Stamped: Antiracism, Racism, and You, which was ultimately banned from use in the district's curriculum, although it is still allowed in school libraries.
Notably, this time, the district has consistently argued that the parent’s identity is protected by federal law — a depature from how the complaints against Stamped were handled.
Parent complaint
WHQR requested to review the parent complaint and the subsequent appeal on April 11. The district filled the public records request on May 7 with the parent’s name redacted. The district has repeatedly claimed that the parent’s identity is protected by FERPA, a federal law that protects student privacy.
The Wrightsboro parent filed the original complaint in January 2024, saying the book was “educationally unsuitable” and “inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of the students.”
The parent wrote, “My child said to me please don’t talk to my teacher. I don’t want to get her in trouble. Keep an open dialog is crucial for me and I don’t like the feeling of having to second guess people I believe are interested in the wellbeing of my kid.”
They also affirmed that they didn’t consult any authoritative resources on the book, but outlined the issues they had with it.
They started by saying that they were “happy to see a book written that would discuss this because divorce is an unfortunate reality in our society and to have content that helps mixed race students find an identity balance I welcome;” however, they added they didn’t like the “multiple points in the book” that highlighted “traumatic racial tension.” They then mentioned the plot points of a White student placing a noose in a Black student’s locker and that Isabella was shot in the arm by a police officer.
They wrote that this is “intentionally creating highly controversial topics and embedding them into the life events of a small child,” adding that the content is too mature and that while the book is written for children ages 8-12, “authors write and sell books, our job is to look out for kids.”
The parent then asked if a school resource officer would weigh in on the book’s content, claiming it would damage the “collaborative efforts” in the school system with law enforcement. The parent complained that the book introduces “the idea of a cop shooting a child intentionally.” The book describes the officer as shooting Isabella mistakenly; she reaches for her cell phone, but the officer thinks it’s a weapon.
The parent thought that reading this book would result in kids dealing with “more anxiety and heartache.” They asked for the book to be removed from all the district’s libraries because it could be “utilized in any curriculum format for lessons.”
They closed by stating, “I am not naive enough to think every single individual has read every single library book in our district, and believe some books slip through the cracks with a good intention summary, like this one, but now that it has been brought to the attention of decision makers, I believe it should be rectified.” (*Note: You can view the full complaint at the end of this article.)
Details of the challenge process
On February 5, the Wrightsboro committee first discussed receiving a parent complaint. The Wrightsboro librarian and Mary Alice Hudson, the district's lead media coordinator, assembled a school committee to read the book and make a decision on March 5.
The Wrightsboro MTAC committee said this book had an “engaging storyline for young readers, relatable issues, covers issues our students experience such as the impact of divorce, racism, blended families, and positive role model characters who demonstrate resilience and empathy (something our students can benefit from).”
Wrightsboro principal Michelle Faison told the parent that Blended “encourages important conversations about navigating personal growth and societal expectations. It provides students with a relatable protagonist who faces challenges that many young readers can connect with, making it a powerful tool for promoting understanding.”
When the parent was informed of the school’s committee decision, they wrote, “Is there any documentation/notes that the committee compiled that I will have access to? Clearly this was a majority decision, was it unanimous? Could you please clarify classroom libraries? Meaning an option teachers allow kids to take home, not necessary through a check out system? Are you saying it is in our media center or not?”
A district-wide committee meeting was scheduled for May 5 at Central Office. Ten members – consisting of Central Office administration, the Elementary Principal of the Year, the Elementary Teacher of the Year, and a parent representative – reviewed the parent complaint in their ‘request for reconsideration’ for the book’s removal (a representative of the school resource officers was invited but didn’t attend). They discussed professional reviews on the book’s merit, and decided if under General Statute the book is “educationally unsuitable, pervasively vulgar, or inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of the student.” Review guidelines also recommend “keeping student needs at the forefront of our conversation.”
If they upheld the school’s decision, the parent could appeal to the school board, as was the case with Stamped. If the district committee agreed with the parent, it would remove Blended. The committee would have to decide on the details of the ban: blocking it from being added to school libraries, removing it from classroom book collections, and/or banning it from being used in classroom instruction.
The district declined a request by WHQR to attend the meeting, saying it was “not open to the public.” WHQR has repeatedly asked for the result of the district committee, but as of Friday at noon, NHCS’s communication office has not provided an answer. This article will be updated with the result when the district provides it.
Parents’ identity
The district initially claimed the school-level complaint was protected by Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA is a federal law that protects student education records, which include items such as grades, transcripts, health records, schedules, financial information, and discipline records.
The district later shifted its argument, saying the complaint could be released, but the parent’s name would need to be redacted.
This contrasts how the district handled a similar complaint two years ago: the identity of Katie Gates, the parent who initiated proceedings to ban Stamped, was not redacted in documents turned over to WHQR in 2023.
The board’s lawyers, who were not representing the district at that time, have argued that FERPA did not protect Gates because her student had left the district at the time of the records request. That doesn’t appear to be true. Gates’ daughter was a student and was offered an alternate assignment, although Gates was unsatisfied with that. WHQR filed its PPR in January 2023 and received documents in early February; Gates’ daughter reportedly graduated over a year later in May 2024.
One of the district’s attorneys also noted that Gates had created public records because she cc’d the Lieutenant Governor on an email about Stamped—although that is not a carve-out identified in state statute (in other words, it is not a reason for the school to ignore FERPA). They’ve also incorrectly suggested that earlier emails turned over as part of WHQR’s PRR had redacted Gates’ name. Records show that’s not the case; although the body of early emails had some redactions, potentially including the student's name, Gates’ name and email were not kept confidential.
An NHCS attorney also noted that while it’s possible Gates could have given permission to release her name, in this case the parent has “specifically instructed that he/she wished to remain anonymous.”
Several sources, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted WHQR, suggesting that Republican school board member Josie Barnart was the parent who had filed the complaint.
Asked by email if she had filed the request for reconsideration of resources about Blended, Barnhart responded, “Thank you for reaching out. This is my official board email. If you are requiring [sic] about records requests I would suggest you submit a FOIA request.”
Barnhart did not respond to a follow-up email, again asking her directly if she had filed the complaint.
Note: This article has been updated to clarify the makeup of the district-level committee.
Ben Schachtman contributed to this report.
Complaint Blended by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
