After public backlash and urging from students and teachers, the Millburn District 24 Board of Education has reinstated the Illinois Readers’ Choice summer reading programs that were discontinued earlier this year. The Board’s previous decision to eliminate the programs, which included the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Program, Monarch Award, and Bluestem Reading Challenge, had been based on concerns that the book lists were “left-leaning.” However, board members have now reversed that decision, citing support from teachers and the community. The programs allow students to read and vote on their favorite books, participate in extracurricular activities around reading, and encourage equitable access to literature for all students in the community.