Texas school district removes books from shelves amid a new series of review policies

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The Keller Independent School District (ISD) adopted policies that place greater scrutiny on books and instructional materials, leading to the removal of 41 books, including the Bible and a graphic novel adaptation of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. 

Key Players 

Keller ISD serves more than 35,000 students in Keller, Texas, and parts of other cities northeast of Fort Worth. Charles Randklev, the president of the board of trustees for the district, joined the board in May 2021. Jennifer Price serves as executive director of Keller ISD’s curriculum and instruction. 

Jonathan Friedman directs the free expression and education programs at PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and promoting the freedom to write, read, and speak as one pleases.  

Further Details

In 2021, the American Library Association, the oldest library association in the world, found that several books about LGBTQ themes and communities of color were on its top 10 most challenged list. A PEN America analysis uncovered 2,532 instances of individual books being banned in the United States, affecting 1,648 unique book titles, between July 2021 and June 2022. Bans occurred in 138 school districts in 32 states, representing 5,049 schools with a combined enrollment of nearly 4 million students. 

Texas banned 801 books across 22 districts, the most out of any state, and 174 of the titles were banned at least twice.  

On Nov. 1, 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) wrote to the Texas Association of School Boards, urging the creation of a statewide standard to prevent circulation of “pornographic or obscene material to students.” Five months later, the Texas Education Agency released new standards on how districts could address the removal of “obscene content” from school libraries. 

On Aug. 8, 2022, the Keller ISD board unanimously adopted similar standards, CNN reported. 

Under these rules, newly proposed titles undergo a 30-day review period before they are purchased. Parents, school employees, and district residents can file objections to books and instructional materials; the fate of challenged books then lies in the hands of a committee. Reviewed books can be marked with an age rating, require parental consent, or go back to bookshelves. For instance, All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George Johnson, was eventually restricted to high school libraries in the district. 

On Aug. 16, Price sent a districtwide email to principals and librarians, addressing the updated policies. She noted 41 “books that were challenged last year.” 

“By the end of today, I need all books pulled from the library and classrooms. Please collect these books and store them in a location. (book room, office, etc.)” Price instructed.

Backlash ensued. Friedman called the removal of the books “an appalling affront to students’ First Amendment rights. It is virtually impossible to run a school or a library that purges books in response to any complaint from any corner.” 

“The whole situation reflects trends across the country toward educational censorship, a recipe for anodyne schools and lowest-common-denominator education. This directive from Keller ISD ought to be repealed immediately,” Friedman continued. 

Parents also worried about banning books. Laney Hawes, the mother of four children in the school district, for example, said decisions around books “should be made by parents for their own children specifically. I don’t think that certain materials that you don’t feel like are appropriate for your children should be withheld from my children, too.”

“I feel bad for students who, many of them, the only opportunity they’re going to have to learn about really, really difficult topics is in books,” Hawes added. “I feel bad for the most marginalized kids in our school district, the LGBTQ+ kids and also a lot of the kids of color. I’m sad. I’m disheartened and I’m frustrated and I’m angry.”

Hawes also speculated that the updated policies were influenced by Patriot Mobile Action (PMA), a conservative political action committee that raised more than $500,000 for school board candidates in Keller and other nearby districts, The Texas Tribune reported. 

In May 2022, Micah Young, Joni Shaw Smith, and Sandi Walker, all recipients of PMA support, were elected to the Keller ISD board of trustees.

Outcome

District claims banned books still under review

In response to parental confusion over Price’s email, Keller ISD clarified it had asked “campus staff and librarians to review books that were challenged last year to determine if they meet the requirements of the new policy.” 

The district added, “All of the books included in (Price’s) email have been included on Keller ISD’s Book Challenge list over the past year,” adding that books that “comply with the new policy” could be removed from the list. 

Randklev dismisses book banning accusations

“For those who are unaware or need a reminder, the Board approved new policies on instructional materials (EFA and EFB local) to protect kids from sexually-explicit content, which has found its way into our schools,” Randklev stated, adding that he hoped “these outlets will issue a correction or even better an apology to our hardworking district staff, and I hope they remember that a half truth is a whole lie.”

Randklev said reports that the district was “banning the Bible and Anne Frank” were not true. 

After the policies were implemented, the Bible, Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank and Illustrator David Polonsky, and other titles, were returned to circulation. As of Oct. 18, 2022, several books were still under review.