The Keller Independent School District in Texas, USA has removed the Bible and 40 other books from its library following administrators’ review.
According to USA Today, the content of each of the affected books was challenged by a parent and another community member sometime in the past year.
Apart from the Bible, a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary, and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, were also pulled from the school’s library shelves ahead of the fall semester.
The American publication added that people “have been challenging books at higher rates as conservative lawmakers raise concerns about what students are being taught in schools about topics such as race, sexuality, and gender identity.”
One of the parents involved in the initial review of the graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s book told the Times that she was frustrated by recent developments.
“We left that room thinking we saved it, we saved this book,” said Laney Hawes. “Only for this many months later to come back and be told, ‘No, we don’t like your outcome, so we are now going to re-review every book according to our strict list of requirements.’”
However, Charles Randklev, president of the district’s board of trustees, said that the new review is needed to protect kids from “sexually-explicit content.”
In a statement released on Facebook, Randklev also criticized headlines claiming the district had fully banned books like the Bible.
“The recent reporting by media that Keller ISD is banning the Bible and ‘Anne Frank’ is false. The district will be reviewing those books per updated policy using content guidelines pending board approval,” he said.