What to know
Trustees Theresa Wagaman and Stacey Chase requested the discussion because they said some books removed from school library shelves are used for AP classes and the AP exam.
“When it came to looking at our current policy, we saw that it hits a snag in the sense that [in] our AP and college board courses as well as some of our college courses, because of the books that we have removed ... we are limiting our students' access to some of those books,” Wagaman said.
The district has procedures in place for parents requesting a book for their child that is not on the shelves. CISD Superintendent Curtis Null said the district does provide students with the materials if requested, and if a student wants any additional materials to study for the exam they would be able to work with the county library or former students who have the book.
“That's a bit odd, right, when we would have this policy but we would contact the community to provide these books," Chase said. "Either [the books] shouldn't be here or they should."
The background
Under House Bill 900, which was passed by the 88th Texas Legislature and went into effect on Sept. 1, 2023, entities that sell library materials to public schools in Texas must assign ratings for whether material is sexually explicit.
In January, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the portion of the bill requiring library vendors to rate materials, but the act upheld the Texas State Board of Education’s role in creating new library standards, as previously reported by Community Impact.
CISD’s local book policy was adopted in November 2023, and it is outlined in the meeting agenda packet. Many districts in the surrounding area have also set a book policy similar to CISD such as Cy-Fair ISD and Katy ISD.
According to the policy, a formal review of the library material begins with a written request. Upon receipt of a request, the district library specialist will appoint a review committee made up of one librarian and at least one teacher who is familiar with the material’s content. When a decision is made, the book will either return to the library shelves or be removed, according to the district.
The district previously decided on a few ways to bring more transparency and faster updates to the reconsideration process including:
- Allowing staff to add the reason for a book removal to the list on the website
- Establishing a specific day each month the list is updated
- Giving a 15-day period where a challenge can be submitted for a book
- Adding instructions on how to challenge an informal review to the district's FAQ
What they’re saying
“It doesn't matter that a book doesn't jump off the shelf into your backpack and force you to read it. It doesn't change your morals if your parents or you don't believe in whatever is in the context of the book. The beauty of books is that you can close them and put them back on the shelf and find something else,” Wagaman said.
“I believe there is a difference between porn ... and discussing sensitive issues like in [the book] ‘The Color Purple’ when you talk about rape and incest, that is not pornography. It might be hard discussion items but those are the type of things that Ms. Chase is touching on. Nobody is talking about putting pornography in the hands of children or students,” board President Skeeter Hubert said.
“There are three things laid out in [the policy]; if the material is harmful, pervasively vulgar or sexually explicit, and I have seen these books,” trustee Tiffany Nelson said.
What’s next
The next board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Deane L. Sadler Administration/Technology Center, 205 W. Davis St., Conroe.
