Missing Textbooks

Re your July 17 editorial: You have missed a major problem regarding a lack of textbooks for students. Students are issued textbooks free of charge. These books are to be returned at the end of the semester. The problem is that too many books are not returned, and there is no way to make the students return the books.

At the school where I taught we started out each school year missing hundreds of books that would cost thousands of dollars to replace. It is the reason many schools that have a high student turnover are always missing books and other school materials.

The fault is not with the LAUSD. It lies with the Legislature, which does not permit LAUSD to charge a deposit for books or to withhold grades from a student who did not return books or other materials.

HAROLD TIEGER

Huntington Beach