Texas School Bans the Bible
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A Texas school district has pulled all versions of the Bible and the graphic novel version of Anne Frank’s Diary from its library shelves ahead of the start of the school year. The ban happened in Keller, Texas—a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with a population just under 40,000.
On August 16, the day before school started, Jennifer Price, Keller ISD’s executive director of curriculum and instruction sent an email to the school district’s principals: “Attached is a list of all books that were challenged last year. By the end of today, I need all books pulled from the library and classrooms,” Price said. “Once this has been completed, please email me a confirmation. We need to ensure this action is taken by the end of the day. I apologize for the late request.”
The list of currently challenged works is 41 books long and includes “The Bible (All Versions),” Anne Frank’s Diary (The Graphic Adaptation), So You’re Being Publicly Shamed , several LGBT touchstones like Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic , and classics like Toni Morisson’s The Bluest Eye .
Later that day, Keller ISD released a statement on its website . “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,” the statement said. “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.”
Essentially, in this case, books were challenged, then reviewed in a closed-door committee vetting process. The books survived that review, but then were further challenged; the district decided to pull all books on the challenged list for the time being.
Bryce Nienman, Keller ISD’s spokesman, told the Dallas Morning News that Keller’s school trustees recently approved a new policy that would reconsider every book that had already survived a ban. The new policy came after Texas state officials launched an official investigation into Keller ISD over sexually explicit books in its library. Parents and teachers met in secret for months, reviewing the books and making decisions about what could stay and what could go. Participants had to sign confidentiality agreements .
Laney Hawes, a Keller ISD parent who sounded the alarm about the book ban on Twitter, talked about her experience in some of these meetings. “These books went through the official district established challenge committee process,” she said. “But because they all passed the committee process, our extreme Christian nationalist school board decided the process was ‘rigged.’. Sound familiar? I served on the committee for The Diary of Anne Frank Graphic Novel. The person who challenged the book didn’t even show up to defend their position. But now the book is pulled.”
Much of the current wave of book banning in the United States is being fueled by groups like Moms For Liberty that are explicitly Conservative and Christian, so it’s ironic that the district has included The Bible in its list of banned titles. It’s a book for which there is at least a plausible argument for banning, considering the Constitutionally enshrined, but poorly enforced, separation of church and state.
Book bannings in schools and libraries have become increasingly common in America. The targets are typically books that deal with LGBTQ themes , books that deal with sex in any way shape or form, and books about the Holocaust. Librarians and administrators have also reported receiving threats and discrimination after setting up displays featuring LGBTQ books, and right-wing extremist groups have disrupted multiple Pride-themed events in libraries across the US.
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Laws of unintended consequences...
gee, they could've just moved it over to the fiction section...
When people start to wake up and see what they are supporting has real world consequences, maybe we can get some sanity back.
I won't hold my breath....
Book burners strike again.
Achtung!
Don't tell me, the left hates the LGBTQ+ community?
Did Jennifer Price's action so mystify you?
Oy Vey!
Lol .... I’m not the one who is confused here.
Aye yi yi!
Actually, they didn't ban the Bible at all. In fact the parents who challenged it withdrew their objection to it last year.
It says all books on the list are to be removed.
The article says that but the school district website says otherwise
I don't see where the website says otherwise. It lists the books and status. Yet according to the memo sent down all books on the list were to be pulled.
And then a second set of parents complained this year.
Some people are concerned about the separation of church and state
others about the actual "stuff" particularly in the old testament.
Not to mention all the brutal violence and illicit sex.
it's the xtian nationalist handbook for incest and pedophilia...
Jesus was such a deviant.
He did seem to prefer the company of men who preferred the company of men which makes one wonder why Mary stuck around so long.
Was it because men had the bigger role in society and maybe Mary wasn't binary.
Really?
You should let us all know what it was like living back then ...
I look forward to the historical assessment.
Let's keep it simple, the bible is a patriarchal treatise in which of the 3,000 or so characters named only 170 of them are women.
Sure ... unless you were rich it was crappy.
Yeah, I’d love to know what fishes and loaves night was like at the ballpark back then .....
Damn ....who’s gonna pay reparations for that?
The usual tithers.
So like today?
I miss the wine from water, white of course with the fish, unless it was tuna or salmon.
Sort of but today crypts have basements.
Could be, I can't remember the last time I was in a crypt.
Your time will come.
maybe she was hoping to convert him...
Because she felt safe?
I've never had a whore wash my feet (does sound kind of kinky, though).
You haven’t lived then, get busy before it’s to late.
Amsterdam in the 70’s, 80’s ...... aye yi yi! A lot of the folks here were still working on their Oedipus complex back then.
We were working on other things ......
My first visit to Amsterdam was in 1977 and Berlin in 78. Good times for a young man.
I had some pre training for Amsterdam..... 14th street DC.
That place was crazy to a small town boy in 79/81
If the Bible can be banned then any and all books can be banned. This Texas school district has settled the issue. Thanks for clearing that up.
They didn't ban the Bible. The headline is a lie.
The article says they pulled all books that were on the list temporarily.
I don't see you showing any different.
I don't trust the article. The district webpage says "After review, book returned to circulation. The book will remain in it's current location. This is a clickbait headline designed to create outrage where there is actually no problem.
So the memo that was sent down was a lie?
I have a feeling that the books were returned to circulation after last years review and
because they were challenged again, they were pulled again this week, now residing
in a windowless room labeled "parental consent only" (again).
22 of the 41 books involved LGBTQ stories.
Keller is much more christian conservative than my neighborhood,
but not enough to keep me away from the Chick Fil-A.
Banning books is laughable in this day and age, I mean have the Karens who started this seen what's being offered on TV, movies and the interet (especially the internet) these days
I didn't get what "streaming" was all about until I started subscribing last year to catch ALL of the NFL games.
Now I am guessing that any American made series or movie on streaming services is required to have lots of soft porn style nakedness in every show regardless of the topic.
I don't stream so have no idea myself, but have no doubt you're correct
Hallelujah.
All Hail Hal
All hail Hal
Can't say I recommend reading the Bible.
It may be known as the Good Book but there are better books.