The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees will soon vote on policy revisions that could allow the superintendent to determine whether library books should be removed from campus shelves.
The district’s policy committee revised the instructional resources policy to allow district administration more authority over book selection, trustee David Hamilton said at FBISD's Aug. 12 workshop board meeting.
Hamilton, who is chair of the policy committee, said he has found a high level of “egregious content” in library books since January, which spurred the policy revision discussions earlier this year.
The details
Under the district’s policy, community members must file a formal challenge requesting instructional materials be reconsidered. The book is then read and reviewed by the reconsideration committee before the committee makes a determination, Hamilton said.
The FBISD website also recommends those concerned with materials to first schedule an informal discussion with school staff to go over concerns. If the complainant is unsatisfied with the committee’s decision, they can appeal to the board of trustees, and the board will make the final decision on the book’s status in the library, according to the FBISD website.
Hamilton said the proposed policy would allow the superintendent to:
- Choose books to review without a formal challenge
- Convene an internal committee to make a decision
What they’re saying
The board was divided on next steps for the policy, with some advocating for retaining the original policy and others disagreeing on whether the superintendent should gain this authority.
Trustee Rick Garcia said he believes trustees are “roadblocked by [their] own policy” in its current form. The policy doesn't allow administrators and trustees to pull books that violate FBISD's policy without going through a challenge process, and challenged books remain on the shelf during the reconsideration period, he said.
Trustee Angie Hanan, who also serves on the policy committee, said the policy “fails to recognize staff for their expertise in the selection of materials.” She also said she believed parents have the right to allow their children “freedom of choice” and access to library materials.
“I don’t want our library collections to become sterile because of the opinions of a board member or board members versus what parents think is good and right for their own kid,” she said.
Trustee Shirley Rose-Gilliam said she didn’t believe the superintendent should be in charge of removing books from shelves.
“I just think that’s wrong; that’s 100% wrong,” she said. “We have librarians that know how to do this, and ... we are now in a position where we’re telling Dr. Smith what to do, and if he doesn’t do it, what happens?”
However, board President Kristin Tassin said it’s common for district staff to delegate to the superintendent to make decisions. She also said the board of trustees has the final decision on reconsidering appealed books.
"What one person thinks is bad is just subjective. That’s the problem we’re having here, that it’s just subjective," she said. "But it doesn’t in any way diminish my confidence in our staff and in the superintendent, who we are holding accountable and who holds staff accountable.”
What’s next
Tassin directed the policy committee to work with the district’s legal counsel on revisions before bringing the policy back to the board. The board's next meeting is Aug. 26.
