A CLOSER LOOK AT TEXAS
The good news is: when it comes to the outright banning of books, we have seen a slight but steady decrease in both the number of books challenged and banned since the 2007. The bad news is: of those challenges brought before school administrators last year, 52 percent – more than half – led to a book being banned or restricted.
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Number of books banned in Texas Public Schools |
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| 2006-07 | 46 |
| 2007-08 | 27 |
| 2008-09 | 26 |
| 2009-10 | 20 |
| 2010-11 | 17 |
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Number of books challenged in Texas Public Schools |
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| 2006-07 | 65 |
| 2007-08 | 116 |
| 2008-09 | 102 |
| 2009-10 | 98 |
| 2010-11 | 67 |
When books are banned, it dampens students, and even adults enthusiasm for learning. Everyone comes out poorer. Take this example.
In 2010, the town of Humble, outside of Houston, canceled its Teen Lit Festival.
Best-selling author Ellen Hopkins was uninvited after some parents complained about her books that deal with difficult subjects including alcoholism and abuse. Once word spread, four other popular young adult authors withdrew their offers to speak in protest of the censorship. Eventually, the school felt it was easier to cancel the entire event rather than receive negative press. So now there’s no controversy. And no Teen Lit Festival – a shame for those very kids who should be encouraged to find inspiration and self-discovery in literature.
WHERE BOOKS WERE BANNED
BY AGE
Middle School 23%
High School 35%
Elementary School 41%
Intermediate School 5%
Charter School 5%
BY AREA
Geographically, the greatest numbers of challenges came from Round Rock ISD, which did not ban any books. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD came in second with five challenges, and end up removing two Eric Jerome Dickey books from its high school.
Burleson and Seguin ISD tied for third place in challenges with four books each. Of all districts, Seguin ISD took the lead in banning: three of the four books challenged were removed from elementary library shelves.
The remaining school districts averaged one to two challenged books, representing a diverse geographic area of the state from the Rio Grande Valley to North Texas. Elementary schools had the most books banned overall.
Many schools do indeed seem willing to stand up for academic freedom. In Leander ISD, both the person challenging the book and the review committee must read the books before a decision can be made. In Round Rock last year, a parent wanted a book banned but refused to read it in order to discuss it with school administrators. The school decided not to ban the book then or any of the six challenges they received this year. Perhaps this is because, in Round Rock, teachers, parents, administrators, and students sit on the committee to review challenges.
“Retained,” and a few “alternative book offered for student” was the most popular response to challenges among the 750 ISDs throughout Texas that contributed to our report this year. We hope to see this trend again in the 2011-2012 report and congratulate the ISDs that take matters of intellectual freedom and a student’s right to read seriously.
Books Challenged in Each District
AMARILLO ISD
School: Olsen Park Elementary
Book: Birthday Present by Cynthia Rylant
Reason Cited: Sexual Content or Nudity
Result: Retained
Note: Initiated by teacher; objected to line drawing of naked baby girl
AMARILLO ISD
AMARILLO ISDSchool: Olsen Park Elementary
Book: My Sister Takes Drugs by Judith Vigna
Reason Citied: Drugs or alcohol
Result: Restricted
BEAUMONT ISD
School: All district schools
Book: Dangerously Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity; Offensive to religious beliefs
Result: Banned (elementary); Restricted (middle school); Retained (high school)
BORGER ISD
Schools: Borger Intermediate & Middle
Book: Tangled, Carolyn Markler
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
BREMOND ISD
School: Bremond Elementary
Book: Tight End by Matt Christopher
Reason Cited: Other/”Too old for third-grader”
Result: Restricted
BURLESON ISD
School: Hughes Middle School
Book: What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Retained
BURLESON ISD
School: Kerr Middle School
Book: Book of Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley
Reason Cited: Violence or horror; Politically/racially/socially offensive
Result: Banned
BURLESON ISD
School: Kerr Middle School
Book: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Retained
BURLESON ISD
School: Kerr Middle School
Book: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reason Cited: Parent did not specify
Result: Restricted; Alternate book allowed for curriculum
CARROLL ISD
School: Eubanks Intermediate
Video: Visit into the Daily Lives of Muslim Teenagers, SVE Media
Reason Cited: Offensive to religious beliefs; drugs or alcohol
Result: Restricted—alternate allowed
CHICO ISD
School: Chico High School
Book: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity; offensive to religious beliefs
Result: Restricted—alternate book allowed
COPPER AS COVE ISD
School: Clements/Parsons Elementary School
Book: Creepy Castles by Sarah Parvis
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Banned
CRAWFORD ISD
School: Crawford Elementary School
Book: Lush by Natasha Friend
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Moved from the elementary to high school library
CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD
School: Cy Lakes/Cy Springs/Cy Woods High Schools
Book: Drive Me Crazy by Eric Jerome Dickey
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD
School: Cy Lakes/Cy Springs/Cy Woods High Schools
Book: Dying for Revenge by Eric Jerome Dickey
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD
School: Langham Creek High School
Book: Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Decision pending
CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD
School: Fiest Elementary
Book: Egg to Chick by Millicent E. Selman
Reason Cited: Word “sperm”
Result: Retained
CYPRESS-FAIRBANKS ISD
School: Goodson Middle School
Book: Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Retained
EARLY ISD
School: Early Primary School
Book: Buster’s Sugartime by Marc Brown
Reason Cited: Offensive to religious sensitivities; politically, racially, or socially offensive
Result: Restricted, but available upon request
EASTLAND ISD
School: Goliad Elementary
Book: Alice on the Outside by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
FERRIS ISD
School: High Schools
Book: Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Reason Cited: Profanity
Result: Retained
FERRIS ISD
School: Intermediate Schools
Book: Chiggers by Hope Larsen
Reason Cited: Profanity
Result: Retained
FORT WORTH ISD
School: Middle Schools
Book: Am I Blue? Coming Out of the Silence, Marion Dane Bauer
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Retained
GOOSE CREEK CISD
School: Goose Creek Memorial High School
Book: The Great Perhaps by Joe Meno
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity; drugs or alcohol
Result: Banned
HUNTSVILLE ISD
School: Huntsville High School
Book: Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art by Sean Cliver
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity; violence or horror; politically, racially, or socially offensive; drugs or alcohol
Result: Banned
IRVING ISD
School: Bowie Middle School
Book: Return of the Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Retained
IRVING ISD
School: John Haley Elementary
Book: The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Action Taken: Retained
KERRVILLE ISD
School: Hal Peterson Middle School
Book: The Captured by Scott Zecsh
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Restricted
KILLEEN ISD
School: Brookhaven Elementary School
Book: Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity; offensive to religious beliefs; use of vulgar terms (fart, burp)
Result: Pending; Currently available
KIRBYVILLE CISD
School: Kirbyville Jr. High School
Book: Stay Out of the Basement by R. L. Stine
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Restricted for student whose parent is challenged
LA JOYA ISD
School: Chavez Middle School
Book: What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted
LA PORTE ISD
School: Jennie Reid Elementary
Book: The Trouble with Babies by Martha Freeman
Reason Cited: Concerning gay couple rearing a child
Result: Decision pending; being reviewed
LEANDER ISD
School: Bagdad Elementary
Book: The Story of Colors by Subcommandante Marcos
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted; Copy of book moved to the middle school
LEANDER ISD
School: River Place Elementary
Book: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Reason Cited: Inappropriate for elementary
Result: Retained
LOVEJOY ISD
School: Hart Elementary
Book: War Comes to Willy Freeman by James & Christopher Collier
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity; violence or horror; politically, racially, or socially offensive; drugs or alcohol
Result: Retained
Note: Parent requested forms to appeal decision to the school board
MIDWAY ISD
School: Midway Middle School
Book: The Trench by Steve Alten
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
NORTH EAST ISD
School: Cibolo Green Elementary
Book: Mirriam-Webster’s Visual Dictionary
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted (removed from general circulation; moved to non-circulating Reference)
NORTHSIDE ISD
School: Elementary Schools
Book: Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
Reason Cited: Politically, racially or socially offensive
Result: Retained
NORTHSIDE ISD
School: Elementary Schools
Book: Let’s Get a Pup, Said Kate by Bob Graham
Reason Cited: Politically, racially or socially offensive
Result: Retained
ODEM-EDROY ISD
School: Odem Junior High
Book: Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
Reason Cited: Profanity; offensive to religious sensitivities; sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted; Moved to high school
PEARLAND ISD
School: Pearland Junior High West
Book: Boy Minus Girl by Richard Uhlig
Reason Cited: Profanity; offensive to religious sensitivities; drugs or alcohol; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned 7-8th grade; sent to high school
PERRYTON ISD
School: Williams Intermediate
Book: The Stupids Die by Harry G. Allard, Jr.
Reason Cited: Disrespectful/name-calling/bad manners
Result: Restricted
PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD
School: Palmer Elementary
Book: The Boy Who Looked Like Lincoln by Mike Reiss
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity; illustration and vocabulary offensive
Result: Banned
PLANO ISD
School: High Schools
Book: Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities: Vol II by Lawrence S. Cunningham & John J. Reich
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Retained
PORT ISABEL ISD
School: Port Isabel Junior High
Book: Fancy White Trash, Marjetta Geerling
Reason Cited: Politically, racially, or socially offensive
Result: Decision pending
PORT NECHES-GROVES ISD
School: Port Neches Middle School
Book: The Slot Machine by Chris Lynch
Reason Cited: Profanity
Result: Banned
QUITMAN ISD
School: Junior & High Schools
Book: Vegan, Virgin, Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity; politically, racially, or socially offensive
Result: Decision pending
QUITMAN ISD
School: Junior & High Schools
Book: Echo by Francesca Lia Block
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
RICHARDSON ISD
School: Berkner, JJ Pearce, Lake Highlands & Richardson High Schools
Book: Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity; suicide
Result: Restricted
ROUND ROCK ISD
School: Hopewell Middle School
Book: All In by Peter Hautman
Reason Cited: Profanity
Result: Retained
ROUND ROCK ISD
School: Canyon Vista Middle School
Book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Reason Cited: Profanity; violence or horror
Result: Retained; Child given alternative book for curriculum
ROUND ROCK ISD
School: Callison Elementary
Book: Day of Tears by Julius Lester
Reason Cited: Profanity; politically, racially or socially offensive
Result: Retained
ROUND ROCK ISD
School: Cedar Valley Middle School
Book: Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
Reason Cited: Profanity, other
Result: Retained
ROUND ROCK ISD
School: Cedar Valley Middle School
Book: Dead High Yearbook
Reason Cited: Profanity; violence or horror
Result: Retained
ROUND ROCK ISD
School: Union Hill Elementary
Book: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Retained
SEGUIN ISD
School: Rodriguez Elementary
Book: The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Banned
SEGUIN ISD
School: Rodriguez Elementary
Book: Bee & Jacky by Carolyn Coman
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
SEGUIN ISD
School: Rodriguez Elementary
Book: Dragon Slayer’s Academy by Kate McMullan
Reason Cited: Offensive to religious sensitivities
Result: Retained
SEGUIN ISD
School: Rodriguez Elementary
Book: Into the Cold Fire by Lynne Ewing
Reason Cited: Violence or horror
Result: Banned
SHELDON ISD
School: Null Middle School
Book: Gangs by Clive Gifford
Reason Cited: Violence or horror;Graphic gang images (child holding a gun)
Result: Restricted; placed in high school
SPRING BRANCH ISD
School: Stratford High School
Book: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Reason Cited: Other (pedophilia)
Result: Retained
THE EHRHART SCHOOL (K-8th)
School: Ehrhart Charter School
Book: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Reason Cited: Homosexual content
Result: Banned
UNION HILL ISD
School: Union Hill High School
Book: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted
VALLEY MILLS ISD
School: Valley Mills Junior High and High School
Book: Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
Reason Cited: Profanity; sexual content or nudity
Result: Banned
WOLFE CITY ISD
School: Wolfe City Elementary
Book: The Junkyard Dog by Erika Tamar
Reason Cited: Profanity
Result: Retained
WOLFE CITY ISD
School: Wolfe City Elementary
Book: The Ten-Speed Babysitter by Alison Cragin Herzig & Jane Lawrence Mali
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted to middle school only
WOLFE CITY ISD
School: Wolfe City Elementary
Book: Everything You Need To Know About AIDS by Barbara Taylor
Reason Cited: Sexual content or nudity
Result: Restricted for high school use only