A school district near Fort Worth, Texas, is responding to complaints leveled against certain books on its shelves. That has included the Bible along with an illustrated adaptation of the diary of Anne Frank, publicized as The Diary of a Young Girl, which tells a chilling, up-close account of the Holocaust. Staff and librarians have been instructed to temporarily remove these books, while the board changes how educational material is chosen for schools and grade levels.
Both Anne Frank’s diary and the Bible were among the multiple books brought up through the district’s official complaint process within the last several months. The district sent an email to principals asking librarians and school staff members to review books those books that had been challenged the past year. According to a subsequent statement, “Books that meet the new guidelines will be returned to the libraries as soon as it is confirmed they comply with the new policy.”
Keller, Texas is removing the diary of Anne Frank from its shelves
Just got word that today, the day Before school starts, @KellerISD has informed teachers & librarians to remove all previously challenged books from school shelves. Even the books that passed the challenge committees. The Diary of Anne Frank, Graphic Nov. is on this list. 🧵/1 pic.twitter.com/ggFilJA30o
— Laney Hawes (@LaneyHawes) August 16, 2022
On Tuesday, an executive with the Keller Independent School District (ISD) sent an email out calling for the removal of several challenged books. A copy of the email was obtained by multiple news agencies and has since circulated online. “By the end of today, I need all books pulled from the library and classrooms,” wrote ISD executive director of curriculum and instruction Jennifer Price in the email.
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All of the books to be pulled were challenged through the district’s formal process. Parents, staff members, and district residents are allowed to raise an objection, referred in the process as a challenge, against a book or piece of learning material. A committee reviews the material in question to evaluate its educational value and decide whether to keep or remove it. New policies were passed with a unanimous board vote on August 8 and redefined the standards used for determining if a book is suitable for school.
Response to pulling the diary of Anne Frank
The particular version of Anne Frank’s diary that has been pulled for review is Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Ari and illustrated by David Polonsky, and released in October 2018. It offers a way to give access to Frank’s story to another generation and has been praised in review for its accessibility and heart, though one reviewer cautioned, “.” Indeed, one complaint levels against the book in the Keller challenge was that “the book shouldn’t be read without parent supervision.” The book was challenged back in February and the complaints were initially dismissed.
These new policies have received condemnation. Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education programs with the free-speech organization PEN America, said, “The sweeping attempt to remove these titles from classrooms and libraries on the eve of a new school year is an appalling affront to students’ First Amendment rights. It is virtually impossible to run a school or a library that purges books in response to any complaint from any corner.” Governor Gregg Abbott suggested the districts might be distributing “sexually explicit” content. Recently, books with LGBT+ themes have been purged from shelves, including Gender Queer.
Did your school prohibit any books?
