LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Turning Point USA of Lubbock says some books on Lubbock ISD library shelves are harmful and illegal under Texas law.
The group, along with Citizens for Education Reform and Behind the Shelves, continued the discussion at a media conference Monday night at the Willows Event Center.
Organizers say more than 130 challenges have been filed over titles they describe as having graphic sexual content and other material they believe is inappropriate for students.
Back in March, Lubbock ISD was working to update its book policy to follow standards put in place by Senate Bill 13. Under the law, anyone can challenge a book and the school library advisory council will have 90 days to review the complaint.
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However, the two groups are accusing the district of making the review process harder and leaving questionable books available to students.
“If on passage is about rape or forced sexual acts, how could that book be considered acceptable, even if the rest of the book is good. I just find that completely unacceptable,” Stephen Lara, with Turning Point USA of Lubbock, said.
Lubbock ISD insists it is following the laws put in place by SB13. It points to the school library advisory committee.
“At the end of the day parents have ultimate choice over what their child reads and what their child sees in the library. We communicate with parents on a regular basis. As far as our system for reconsideration, we follow exactly what is listed in SB13 to make sure we are staying with the guidance of the law,” Chief Academic Officer Misty Rieber said.
The district wants parents to know they can review the libraries catalogs anytime, even online. It also notifies parents anytime a child checks out a book.
Lubbock ISD provided the statement below, formatting included in the statement
Lubbock ISD & Library Books
There have been a lot of discussions about library books recently. One question we keep hearing is, “Is Lubbock ISD following the law when it comes to the library requirements in Senate Bill 13?”
We want to be clear that the answer is yes. We have followed the letter of the law when it comes to S.B. 13, and we will continue to do so as we move forward.
Overview of S.B. 13
The TEA website provides a high-level overview of Senate Bill (SB) 13, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, which adds new requirements related to a school district’s library materials and catalog, including:
Updating the school system’s library materials acquisition policy.
This means that there are specific rules school districts must follow when books are purchased or donated – and Lubbock ISD IS following them.
Ensuring an effective library material challenge process, including, if appropriate, the use of a local school library advisory council, or SLAC.
The Lubbock ISD SLAC committee (in accordance with the law) is made up of parents who have children in the district – this is important since these decisions affect their children directly. The members are appointed by the Board of Trustees.
To challenge a book, parents, district employees or someone who lives in the district’s boundaries can fill out the reconsideration form by clicking the “Parent and Family” button on our Library Media Services page: www.lubbockisd.org/libraries.
SLAC must be notified within 5 days of form submission.
As soon as a book is challenged, it is pulled from shelves until it can be reviewed and voted on – students have no access to challenged books while SLAC is conducting its review.
In the past two years, there have been less than 150 challenges submitted through this process.
Of those challenges, 10 books have been removed completely from our libraries and several others have been moved up to higher grade levels than where they were originally available.
It’s important to note that while we appreciate when community members come to our board meetings to voice their concerns, presenting a book to the board in this way, including reading passages out of it, does not begin the reconsideration process.
To actually challenge a book, parents, district employees or someone who lives in the district’s boundaries must fill out the reconsideration form (located on the Library Media Services website) so that the SLAC can begin the process.
Parent’s rights under S.B. 13
While the district’s acquisition and reconsideration process are important parts of the law, just as important is a parent’s right to choose what their children can access in our libraries. The law also requires:
Ensuring parents have access to the library catalog at each of our schools.
This means a parent can see exactly what books are in the school library and what is available for their children to check out.
Book lists can be found by clicking the “Lubbock ISD Libraries (links by campus)” button on our Library Media Services page: www.lubbockisd.org/libraries.
Ensuring parents know which library materials their students are checking out AND that they can restrict which materials their students can access
This means that a parent can put book titles on a restricted list if they don’t want their child to check them out. Parents can find instructions for this by clicking the “Parent and Family” button on our Library Media Services page: www.lubbockisd.org/libraries.
It also means that they are notified every time their child does check out a book, so they know what their child has decided to read. It is important for parents to make sure that their contact information is correct in their Parent Portal, which can be accessed by clicking the “Gradebook” button at the top right corner of www.lubbockisd.org .
Our commitment to our families and students
Lubbock ISD is committed to serving the families within our district and ensuring that they are as involved as possible in their children’s educational experience. We want to make sure they have the tools they need to make decisions that best fit their family and children, whether it be what books they check out from our libraries or which campus they attend.
If parents and guardians are engaged, they can be the ones who make decisions for their own children. If parents aren’t engaged, other people will ultimately make decisions about their children’s educational experience for them.
We encourage parents to talk to their school librarian, their teachers, and most importantly, their children, to find out what they are reading and why they choose it.
We also encourage our community members who make public comments at our board meetings to stay for the board members’ own remarks later in the meeting. Board members are restricted from responding to speakers during the public comment period and can only provide their own remarks at a designated time later in the meeting. Many times, those who speak leave the meeting immediately after the public comment period concludes, which means they miss a crucial opportunity to hear more of the conversation surrounding the district’s efforts regarding S.B. 13.
For more information, including links to our campus library sites and book lists, visit www.lubbockisd.org/libraries.
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