(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The Keller Independent School District, based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, has pulled all versions of the Bible and the illustrated version of The Diary of Anne Frank.
The move followed an investigation by Texas education officials, who looked into the evaluation process of books that made their way into school libraries, the Daily Wire reported.
Parents originally made the request, as they were concerned that sexually explicit books were being made available to young children.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called on education officials to investigate the “availability of pornography” in the schools, and requested that new standards be developed to prevent “obscene content in Texas public schools.”
A graphic novel titled Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe is the book that originally spurred the investigation. The story explores identity and sexual orientation, and includes graphic depictions of oral sex.
Recently, however, the district announced plans to pull all books that had been “challenged” throughout the investigation, including some that had been approved by the investigators.
District curriculum director Jennifer Price sent an email to all Keller District principals with the challenged titles, writing that each of the books needed to be removed from all libraries and classrooms.
“By the end of today, I need all books pulled from the library and classrooms,” she wrote. “More information will be sent regarding action for these books.”
“Once this has been completed, please email me a confirmation,” she continued. “We need to ensure this action is taken by the end of today.”
The list of “challenged” books included all versions and translations of the Bible, which was described as being written by “men who lived a long time ago—no 1 exact author exist for these books.”
There was no explicit reason for why having one author is of any specific importance in this situation. Anne Frank’s Diary (The Graphic Adaptation), by Ari Folman and David Polonsky, was also removed.
The full, 16-page list, includes dozens of titles—most of which related to gender identity, anti-racism and Critical Race Theory.
