Texas school district removes Anne Frank book, Bible from libraries after parent complaints
As some Texas students return to their classrooms this fall, they may find their libraries a bit smaller than in years past.
The Washington Post reported that earlier this week, a North Texas school official "sent an email telling principals and librarians to pull [a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank's diary] off the shelves — along with 40 other books." The books were to be removed from the libraries and classrooms within the Keller Independent School District.
This comes after parents expressed their concerns regarding the "mature content, including depictions of sexual activities," the Post notes, adding that one parent opposed "any variation of the Bible being in schools." Initially, the board chose to keep the Bible in the library, but that ended up being removed as well.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Classic reads such as "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison were among the books that were challenged. According to NPR, "[a]ll of the books included in Tuesday's email have been included on Keller ISD's Book Challenge list over the past year. Books that meet the new guidelines will be returned to the libraries as soon as it is confirmed they comply with the new policy."
NPR reports that many parents are "not completely clear" on how the new book challenge policy will work, and that "[s]ome of the school board's new members were backed by Patriot Mobile Action, a conservative Christian political action committee." Members of the school board have the power to "accept or reject any material," according to The Texas Tribune.
