Parents can ask for the reading lists before the start of the school year, but most never bother because its been the same old song - mostly from the working mommies - ‘teachers know best’.
18 years ago, our school also assigned a Toni Morrison novel for senior year. I told the head of the dept that my son was not going to read the book....and we agreed on a suitable substitute. Only one other student in a class of 25 was pulled out.
If parents NEVER complain, if they ALWAYS go along, the boards & teachers give themselves power that they were NEVER entitled to.
Bttt
When I was in high school in the mid-70's, we always had a list of 4 or 5 books to choose from. We chose which one we wanted and some students chose something else. This is how I avoided having to read Silas Marner.