41 books are being removed from library shelves in a Texas school district, while administrators perform a review using content guidelines that will be approved by their board of trustees. “Anne Frank’s Diary (The Graphic Adaptation),” the Bible and “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” are included in the list of books that officials from the Keller Independent School District are asking to be removed from library shelves.
Librarians and campus staff are being asked to review books that were challenged in the past year to determine if they meet the requirements of newly approved policies from the board of trustees, a spokesperson for Keller ISD said.
A Keller ISD statement read: “Keller ISD’s Board of Trustees approved policies EFA (Local) and EFB (Local) at its August 8, 2022, Special Meeting. These policies relate to the acquisition and review of instructional materials and library books. Right now, Keller ISD’s administration is asking our campus staff and librarians to review books that were challenged last year to determine if they meet the requirements of the new policy. All of the books included in Tuesday’s email have been included on Keller ISD’s Book Challenge list over the past year.”
The spokesperson also said that the books that are deemed in compliance with the new policies “will be returned to the libraries as soon as it is confirmed they comply with the new policy.”
Employees, members of the community, and parents can challenge a book or instructional resource used in the Keller ISD educational program. A committee considered previously the challenges and determined if the books were “educationally suitable or pervasively vulgar.”
The book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” is no longer in circulation on its campuses, according to the district website, reported Fox News.
In November 2021, after “All Boys Aren’t Blue” was challenged, a district committee determined that it would remain “in high school libraries and in classroom libraries at the high school level.”
President of the Keller ISD board of trustees, Charles Randklev responded to claims on social media that the district is banning books such as the Bible and Anne Frank, stating they are “false.”
Randklev said: “The district will be reviewing those books per updated policy using content guidelines pending board approval. 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 explicit content, which has found its way into our schools.”
The Texas Education Agency required the school district to approve content-based policies regarding library content, he said, adding that the new policy instructs school officials to re-evaluate instructional materials that were previously challenged by community members.
Books such as “Gender Queer” and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” are “replete with graphic, gratuitous, explicit content … and have no place in the hands of children,” Randklev added.
Graphic pictures of s-xual acts that take place between a boy and a man could be seen in the book “Gender Queer,” and have been a subject of concern from many parents across the country.