A school district in Texas has temporarily removed books that were challenged through the district’s complaint process in the most recent school year.
The Keller Independent School District, located near Fort Worth, Texas, stated its Board of Trustees approved new policies on Aug. 8 that relate to the acquisition and review of instructional materials and library books, a statement from the district read. Included among the books that are being reviewed are the Bible and Anne Frank’s Diary (The Graphic Adaption), according to the school district’s book challenges list.
“All of the books included in Tuesday’s email have been included on Keller ISD’s Book Challenge list over the past year,” the district’s statement read. “Books that meet the new guidelines will be returned to the libraries as soon as it is confirmed they comply with the new policy.”
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Among the other books that are being reviewed are All Boys Aren’t Blue, I Am Jazz, and Gender Queer, which explore LGBT themes and stories. Gender Queer is no longer being circulated among the district’s campuses, while I Am Jazz and All Boys Aren’t Blue are available in the district’s school libraries, according to its list of book challenges.
Texas was listed as the state with the most bans in the United States at 713 books, with Pennsylvania at 456, Florida at 204, Oklahoma at 43, and Kansas at 30, according to the nonprofit PEN America. Gender Queer and All Boys Aren’t Blue were banned in the most U.S. school districts, the organization said.
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Challenges to books in school districts have gained increased national attention as parents fight for heightened control over their children’s academic development. In a Florida school board meeting held in June, a father was cut off when he started reading explicit excerpts from books found in Clay County School District’s Fleming Island Elementary School and Oakleaf High School.
The Washington Examiner has contacted the school district for comment.
