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The board of education for Minneapolis Public Schools has ended its contract with Utah-based Reading Horizons after critics accused the company's reading curriculum of including racist and offensive content.

The complaints stemmed from a book series meant for early-grade readers which included titles like "Lazy Lucy," about a young black girl who can't keep her hut clean, and "Kenya," which describes the African nation's fast barefoot runners.

The school board recalled the "Little Books" series in September, and, on Oct. 13, voted to suspend all instructional materials produced by Reading Horizons.

"It's become clear that any Reading Horizons materials will be an ongoing distraction to learning," reads a statement on the school district's website. "Therefore, teachers will be asked not to use the curriculum and instructional materials."

The company's president, Tyson Smith, said that 10,000 schools and correctional facilities around the nation use Reading Horizons' program. Of those sites, 2 percent have purchased the "Little Books" series.

He said the book series has been suspended and will be rewritten in accordance with feedback and recommendations by a new advisory board formed to screen Reading Horizons materials for cultural insensitivity.

"That process has started," Smith said. "Reviews of the material began two months ago."

Formed in 1984 and based in North Salt Lake, Reading Horizons uses phonetics and the "decoding" of words in its literacy system, aimed at beginning and struggling readers.

Very few of those readers reside in Utah, Smith said.

"The majority of our customers, over the years," he said, "have been outside the state."

Smith said he is unable to name a specific Utah school that uses the Reading Horizons program, adding that an even smaller number, if any, would have bought the "Little Books" series.

Minneapolis Public Schools had paid the company $1.2 million to use its program, according to a report by Minneapolis Public Radio.

A spokesman for the school district directed questions to the website statement and did not respond to inquiries about a refund from Reading Horizons.

When asked about a refund of the Minneapolis Public Schools money, Smith said the company has offered to refund $650,000 if it's allowed to continue providing literacy services to students.

bwood@sltrib.com Twitter: @Bjaminwood