HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND. COMING UP. THANK YOU. ALSO TONIGHT, YOU'LL REMEMBER THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TOLD EDMOND TO REMOVE 2 BOOKS CITING COMPLAINTS, BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS AS TO WHETHER THE PERSON BEHIND ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS ACTUALLY EXISTS. >> NEWS FOUR'S KAYLEE OLIVAS JOINING US NOW WITH DETAILS, KAYLEE. YEAH, KEVIN EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS PUSHING BACK AGAINST ORDERS FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PULL BOOKS FROM THEIR LIBRARIES. >> AND THEY DISCOVERED IN THIS LEGAL PROCESS THAT A LETTER FROM A CONCERNED PARENT APPEARS TO BE PHONY. THE STATE SUPREME COURT AGREES. >> LIBRARY BOOKS ARE HIGHLY PROTECTED.
THEY ARE PROTECTED MATERIALS. THE DISTRICT HAS A LONGSTANDING POLICY FOR REVIEW OF THE MATERIALS IN OUR LIBRARIES. EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS DEFENDING THEIR RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT'S IN THEIR LIBRARIES. THIS IN RESPONSE TO A LETTER FROM THE OKLAHOMA STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLAIMING ADMIN HAS TO SEXUALLY GRAPHIC BOOKS ON CATALOG AND THEY NEED TO GO THE KITE RUNNER AND THE GLASS CASTLE. IF WE REMOVE THE BOOKS, WE WOULD BE GOING AGAINST OUR OWN POLICY AND FEDERAL COURT DECISIONS. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BOOKS. IT'S ABOUT WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT SHOULD BE IN THE LIBRARY AND WHO CAN SAY WHAT THAT SHOULD BE REMOVED.
SO NOW I'VE BEEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ASKING THE STATE SUPREME COURT TO STEP IN NOT OVER THE CONTENT OF THE BOOKS, BUT ON THE ISSUE OF LOCAL CONTROL. THEY WANT THE COURT TO DECIDE SDE IS OVERSTEPPING ITS BOUNDS. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS BEEN RELATIVELY SILENT IN THIS LAWSUIT UNTIL NOW IN A NEW COURT FILING AS THESE ATTORNEYS, ONE OF WHOM IS THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW OF FORMER STATE SUPERINTENDENT, JANET BREEZY ACCUSES THE ADMIN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF TURNING THE STATE SUPREME COURT INTO A QUOTE, TRIAL COURT AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL AND A LIBRARY COMMITTEE.
THERE'S ALSO A MYSTERY WHO IS BEHIND A LETTER SENT TO THE STATE SUPREME COURT FROM A RANDY SANTOSO WHO CALLS HIMSELF AN ADMIN SCHOOLS PARENTS. WELL, ACCORDING TO THE OKLAHOMAN, THE LETTER STATES, QUOTE, THE 2 BOOKS PRESENT AN EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH OR GIVEN TO MINOR CHILDREN BY ADULT TEACHERS FOR REQUIRED READING IN 10TH GRADE ENGLISH AT ALL. 3 HIGH SCHOOLS FURTHER ADDING THE ADMIN SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT, QUOTE, HAS IGNORED. EVERY PARENTS COMPLAIN ABOUT THESE BOOKS FOR YEARS. BUT THE DISTRICT PUSHING BACK SAYING DISTRICT RECORDS DO NOT SHOW ANY DISTRICT PARENT BY THAT NAME NOR WAS THE PHONE NUMBER ON THE LETTER REGISTERED TO A RANDY SANTOS, A NEWS 4 ALSO DUG AROUND CHECKING OKLAHOMA, A VOTER RECORDS AND THE STATE COURTS NETWORK WITH NO EVIDENCE THAT RANDY EXISTS.
THE COURT HAS SINCE DROPPED THAT LETTER FROM THE EVIDENCE. >> WELL, BE OKLAHOMA STATE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS A CO-OPERATIVE COUNCIL FOR OKLAHOMA SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION HAVE BOTH SUBMITTED STATEMENTS TO THE COURT SUPPORTING THE ADMIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. AN ATTORNEY FOR THE STATE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION TELLS ME, QUOTE, WE BELIEVE THAT DECISIONS ARE BEST MADE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL BY THE PEOPLE ELECTED BY THE COMMUNITY TO .