February 25, 2022
A Granbury ISD committee of parents, community members, and staff representatives is progressing through a review of several books in school libraries.
The library review committee held its first meeting on February 1 and has meet twice more, with nearly all nine members attending each meeting. GISD curriculum director Stacie Brown is the committee chair but is not a voting member.
At its first meeting, the committee reviewed letters from Governor Abbott to the Texas Education Agency regarding prohibiting pornography in school libraries. Accordingly, the scope of the GISD review centers on “written or visual material that depicts explicit sexual acts or overtly sexual content.”
A majority of the committee agreed that over one hundred books on the review list did not include material that matched this definition. These books have already been returned to school libraries.
One book is currently designated for removal because of sexually explicit material. This is in addition to five Abbi Glines novels previously removed from school libraries.
A current summary of the review includes:
- 131 books under review at the start of the process
- 103 books returned to library shelves
- 1 book designated for removal because of sexually explicit content
- 2 books confirmed lost and not in school libraries
- 25 books remaining to be reviewed by the committee
After the committee completes its review in March, the district will publish a list of any books that the committee determines meets the above criteria. The district will also hold a public inspection for parents and the public at the Administration Building.
