School officials say books that meet the new policy’s requirements will be returned to the shelves
A Texas school has removed books “filled with graphic, gratuitous, sexually explicit content,” including depictions of incest, rape and homosexuality, that are on a list of challenged books that also includes an illustrated adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary and the Bible. .
The issue came to light Wednesday when a staff member from the Keller Independent School District (ISD) sent an email requesting that all books that were challenged over the past year be removed.
“Attached is a list of all the books that were challenged last year. By the end of today, I need all books checked out of the library and classrooms,” a school official said in an email.
The Bible and an illustrated adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank are on the list of books removed for review. All books on the “challenged books” list are reviewed by a committee.
Also among the books removed was “From the Dark”, a historical novel that contains incest and sexual abuse; “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which depicts explicit gay sex; and “The Bluest Eye,” a 1970 novel depicting incest.
Excerpts showing depictions of sexually explicit content in some of the books on the list are included in a YouTube video calling for their removal posted by an account called the Keller ISD Family Alliance.
These books were previously marked on the list of challenged books and approved to remain available to students by a committee of community and staff members.
Old policy “Exposes children to pornographic material”
Keller ISD responded to reports about the issue, explaining that the review was prompted by policies approved at an Aug. 8 special school board meeting.
“These policies pertain to the purchase and review of instructional materials and library books,” Keller ISD said in a statement. “Right now, the Keller ISD administration is asking our campus staff and librarians to review the books that were challenged last year to determine if they meet the requirements of the new policy.”
The school district said books that “meet the new guidelines will be returned to libraries once they are confirmed to be in compliance with the new policy.”
Charles Randklev, president of the Keller ISD board of trustees, said the district’s new policy replaced an old “flawed” policy that “exposed children to pornographic material.”
“How Does Sexually Explicit Content Meet Students’ Specific Reading Needs?” How does it strengthen informational writing or critical thinking skills? How does it create sensitivity to other groups of individuals? How does it contribute positively to school culture? How does it align with state and district learning standards?” he said.
“Also, what does this say about our education system … that certain student groups can only be reached through the lens of sexually graphic content. This is unconscionable.”
charges
The removal of the book was exposed by Laney Hawes, who said she previously served on a Keller ISD book challenge committee, on social media.
“I just received word today, the day before school starts, [Keller ISD] informed the teachers [and] librarians to remove all previously challenged books from school shelves. Even the books that passed the challenging committees”, she has written on Twitter on Wednesday.
In her Twitter thread, Hawes included a screenshot of the email and the list of 43 books, which included two cases that challenged the Bible.
“These books went through the formal challenge committee process established by the district,” Hawes added. “But because they all went through the committee process, our extremist Christian nationalist school board decided the process was ‘rigged.’ Sound familiar? (2020 elections)”.
Regarding the inclusion of the Bible on the list of challenged books, Hawes said she thinks it was added “by someone to make a point”.
“It illustrates that some books deal with themes and have themes that aren’t all sunshine and rainbows,” Hawes told The Epoch Times. She added that removing books “based on a checklist rather than looking at the value of a book as a whole” was “a huge disservice to children”.
“And every book is not appropriate for every child or every age, but that decision should be made by parents for their children,” she added.
Hawes noted that “The Diary of Anne Frank: The Graphic Adaptation,” which she helped get approved as a former member of the book challenge committee, was among the books taken off the shelves.
Randklev dismissed the claim that the district is banning the books, calling it “false.”
“The district will review those books under the updated policy using content guidelines pending board approval,” Randklev said in a Facebook statement.
Randklev noted that some of the books on the list like “Gender Queer” are “filled with graphic, gratuitous, sexually explicit content … and have no place in the hands of children.”
“For those who are unaware or need a reminder, the Board adopted new policies on instructional materials (local EFA and EFB) to protect children from sexually explicit content that has found its way into our schools. ,” he added.
Hawes also clarified her stance on books with explicit sexual content.
“Of course I don’t want pornography in schools. No one wants pornography in schools. I agree, not all materials are suitable for all ages or for all children. That is why we as parents can decide what is best for our children,” she said has written on Twitter.
The Epoch Times reached out to Randklev for further comment.
This report was updated to include Hawes’ remarks.
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Caden Pearson is a reporter based in Australia. Contact him at [email protected]
