Dozens of residents attended a Seaside School Board meeting Tuesday to address the controversy surrounding a young adult novel assigned to high school students.

Superintendent Susan Penrod said she had received complaints about teachers assigning “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” a book by Sherman Alexie that details the struggles of a 14-year-old Native American boy adjusting to life outside of a reservation.

“We do have school board policies, if anyone would like to challenge any of our instructional materials,” Penrod told attendees before presenting an official form to challenge assigned books.

She also cited a policy that school board members would not respond to assertions at public comment, but that it was instead a time to listen to attendees’ viewpoints.

Many opponents of the book voiced concerns that it contained sexually explicit material, referencing a passage in which the main character talks about sexual self-gratification.

Hilary Stock said her daughter, who was assigned the book, had brought the issue to her attention.

“I’m asking for age-appropriate reading material that advances independent thought and critical thinking,” Stock said. “I am not naive to the fact that students are dealing with self-awareness, sexual curiosity and hard life experiences.

“However, we shouldn’t need our educators assigning reading material to glorify pornography, self-pleasure … my two high schoolers as of next year will be homeschooled, as my faith in the school system has left me disappointed.”

The city is no stranger to controversy surrounding reading material. In January 2024, two children’s books in the Seaside Public Library faced requests for removal. The library board reviewed the books and opted to keep them in the library.

In July 2024, a Seaside city councilor, Steve Dillard, was recalled after calling for age restrictions on materials in the public library.

While many spoke in opposition to “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” others voiced their support.

Seamus McVey, a Seaside city councilor whose grandson attends a Seaside school, said he trusted teachers to understand the material they assign.

“Another book that was mentioned as an alternative tonight, was, I believe, “Of Mice and Men,’” he said. “That’s a book that’s been banned repeatedly, but when it covers topics like poverty, murder … Is that a better alternative than a couple of sentences?

“I have to wonder if the context of the book itself, having been reviewed by the professionals that we as a community pay to do this job, might actually be better.”

Others warned about the dangers of widespread book challenges throughout the nation — the American Library Association has documented record numbers of book challenges over the last few years.

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” has been the target of almost yearly challenges across the country since its publication in 2007, earning a spot on the American Library Association’s top-10 challenged books list multiple times.

“I understand some of the points on both sides,” said John Edwards, who said he had been involved with the school district as a parent and volunteer for almost 40 years. “I think it’s great that some of the parents whose students were concerned have a level of trust with their parents, that they’re willing to bring something sensitive like this to them.

“I also think it’s a slippery slope to start taking literature out of children’s hands because there are parts of it that may be deemed inappropriate for some … the way that you get around the challenging parts of that is by reading the whole book, not by reading an excerpt and pretending it’s the end of the world.”

At the end of the public comment period, school board member Chris Corder thanked attendees and said that he and the rest of the board appreciated the time they took to show up and share their opinions.

“We feel like we work hard to, you know, be your elected official at the school board and that we want to be as transparent as possible,” he said. “So we’re doing our best.”

According to the school district’s policy, any formal challenges to instructional material require action. Upon receipt of a written challenge, the superintendent will designate a review committee within 10 school days and allow that committee to review the material for another 10 school days.

The committee will then submit its report and recommendation on whether the material should be withdrawn from the curriculum to school board members, who will then announce their decision at the subsequent board meeting.