Upper Moreland High School gifted class requires students to read books promoting political ideologies for summer assignment

Upper Moreland High School has a Gifted Literacy class for ninth-grade students. The teacher of the class provided students with a summer assignment on June 4, 2025. Defending Education obtained this summer assignment through a public records request. The assignment contains a list of books. Students must choose two books on the list to read over the summer and complete an assignment before the start of the fall semester. Students will also be given a writing assignment about the books during the first week of class.

Most of the books appear to promote themes in support of controversial political issues such as supporting the LGBTQ movement and illegal immigration. The description of the assignment explicitly states the political nature of these books:

Project LIT is a national, grass-roots literacy movement that is now more than 1700 chapters strong in all 50 states. The founder, high school teacher Jarred Amato, started this book club with his students in order to increase students’ access to high-quality, culturally sustaining books. His goal was to provide students with “books that allow all students to see themselves in the pages. Books that communicate to all students that their voices and their stories matter – that they matter. Books that encourage us to write stories of our own. Books that spark important necessary conversations. Books that remind us that we’re not alone, and books that inspire us to make a difference.”

Students must provide examples from the books they read for the following prompts:

• Where you see yourself represented in the story and/or personal identity explored
• Visibility of cultures different from your own
• The story builds community, unity, and inclusivity
• Openings for discussions about what’s happening in current events
• Relatable experiences

One book on this list is title Sanctuary. Amazon provides the following description for the book: “It’s 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked–from buses to grocery stores. It’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant, but that’s exactly what sixteen-year-old Vali is doing.”

Another book is titled We Are Not from Here. Amazon provides the following description for the book: “In this striking portrait of lives torn apart, the plight of migrants at the U.S. southern border is brought to light through poignant, vivid storytelling. An epic journey of danger, resilience, heartache, and hope.”

A book on the list promoting LGBTQ themes is titled Like a Love Story. Amazon provides the following description for the book: “Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS.”