Keller ISD Removes Bible, Other Books from Libraries Ahead of First Day of School

Just as students are going back to class in Keller ISD, some major changes are happening to their libraries.

District officials have instructed campuses to pull books from library shelves that were reported last year for concerning material.

According to the Dallas Morning News, staff in Keller ISD received an email with a spreadsheet of books on Tuesday morning and were told to have the books removed by the end of the day.

The list includes books that were flagged for removal but later approved by a committee to remain in libraries and classrooms. However, a district spokesperson said Keller school trustees recently approved a new policy that requires every book that was previously challenged by parents and community members to be reconsidered.

Some of the well-known titles on that list include the Bible, "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, a graphic novel version of the Diary of Anne Frank (not to be confused with the original publication of the diary), and "I Am Jazz" by Jazz Jennings.

Many of the reported books on the list center on gay or transgender characters, or involve violence or themes of violence.

The district has a list of the current challenged books available on its website.

This move goes back to last year when Republican state leaders like Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Education Agency to prevent "pornography in schools" and launch an investigation into schools that had what some consider to be sexually explicit books available to children.

In the past year or so, there has also been a national push by conservatives to report and ban books centering on stories of gender, race, and sexuality as the debate over book bans and critical race theory in schools rages on.

In accordance with Abbott’s request, the TEA then opened an investigation into school districts like Keller ISD, following reports filed by lawmakers, parents, and community members over certain titles in school libraries.

For months, Keller parents, community members and staff met behind closed doors to review the challenged books. It was reported by The Dallas Morning News that the meetings were held privately because of fear of retaliation from Abbott on any decisions that were made.

Keller ISD issued the following statement to NBC 5 concerning this latest removal of books:

Keller ISD has received questions about an email sent Tuesday to principals and librarians. Keller ISD’s Board of Trustees approved policies EFA (Local) and EFB (Local) at its August 8, 2022, Special Meeting. These policies relate to the acquisition and review of instructional materials and library books. Right now, Keller ISD’s administration is asking our campus staff and librarians to review books that were challenged last year to determine if they meet the requirements of the new policy. All 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.

A spokesman added that the district is unsure of the timeline for when the re-review process will be finished.