The superintendent of Granbury ISD has ordered school librarians to remove certain books about race and sexuality, explaining the Governor wants them removed.
Granbury Superintendent Jeremy Glenn commented on the controversial issue during a close-door meeting back in January. A recording has been obtained by NBC News, ProPublica and the Texas Tribune.
"Let's call it what it is. I'm cutting to the chase on a lot of this," Glenn can be heard saying in the recording. "It's the transgender, the LGBTQ and the sex-sexuality in books. That's what the governor has said that he will prosecute people for. And that's what we're pulling out."
In a statement issued yesterday, the Granbury ISD confirmed that it has formed a committee dedicated to reviewing books. So far, the committee has pulled eight books from the district’s libraries, claiming that they are sexually explicit and inappropriate. Two of those books have alleged LGBTQ themes, according to the district.
Meanwhile, the Texas Library Association is actively fighting against book banning. TLA Executive Director Shirley Robinson says it’s a dangerous practice, especially when specific authors and groups are targeted.
"It's really important for students and any individual to see themselves and their experience reflected in the literature that they read," Robinson says. "In some cases, it can be life saving."
The GISD says its libraries still have a socially and culturally diverse collection of books. The district's full statement reads:
First and foremost, in Granbury ISD all students are important. We serve students from diverse backgrounds, and regardless of their environment or circumstances all of our children are valued, supported, and cared for by an exemplary staff. In Granbury and across Texas we are seeing parents push back and demand elected officials put safeguards in place to protect their children from materials that are vulgar, sexually explicit, and serve no academic purpose.
The district is aware of comments made by the superintendent in an effort to comply with Governor Abbott’s request that pornographic and sexually explicit books be reviewed and possibly removed from public school libraries. Upon receipt of letters from Representative Krause and Governor Abbott, the district identified books that were listed and part of the library collections on multiple campuses. The district formed a review committee in accordance with district policy. This independent review committee was made up of educators and community members from diverse backgrounds. The superintendent did not participate in the review process.
Ultimately, the review committee determined that eight books were sexually explicit and not age-appropriate. Two of the eight books did have LGBTQ+ themes, however all of the books that were removed had sexually explicit and/or pervasively vulgar content. Granbury ISD libraries continue to house a socially and culturally diverse collection of books for students to read including books which analyze and explore LGBTQ+ issues. Granbury ISD provides the appropriate venue, via Board Policy EF (Local), for individuals to challenge literary and instructional resources in a manner consistent with protecting students' First Amendment rights.
Granbury ISD will continue to work with parents in order to put the needs of our children first. Our administration, and staff will continue to prioritize literacy, which includes opportunities for students to grow as readers. The District is committed to ensuring appropriate materials are available for student choice reading. More importantly, GISD is committed to providing all students and staff with a secure learning environment which exhibits tolerance and equality. The selection and review of library materials is an ongoing process. GISD will continue to follow its policies on instructional materials selection to keep our libraries current. Like all school districts the values of our community will always be reflected in our schools; however our primary obligation remains to focus on the academic growth and development of our students.
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