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BANNED BOOKS2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 653%38%13ResponseChallengedBannedSchools53% of schools in Texasresponded to our openrecords request13 books werechallenged during the2015-16 school year5 out of 13 of thechallenged books werebanned.Challenges came fromelementary, middle, highand charter schools.WWW.ACLUTX.ORG
SUMMARYIN 2015-2016, WE RECORDED THIRTEEN BOOK CHALLENGES SUBMITTED TO TEXAS SCHOOLS.THE BOOKS IN QUESTION WERE CHALLENGED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, INCLUDINGHORROR (POE), OFFENSIVENESS (LEE), OR UPSETTING TO RELIGIOUS SENSITIVITIES (MYERS,CAMUS).BASED ON RESPONSES TO OUR OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS, TWELVE SCHOOL DISTRICTSLOGGED BOOK CHALLENGES THIS PAST YEAR. IN MANY CASES, LIBRARIANS AND SCHOOLADMINISTRATORS FOUND A WAY TO ACCOMMODATE THE PARENTS’ COMPLAINTS WHILE NOTDEPRIVING OTHER STUDENTS OF THE CHALLENGED MATERIAL, EITHER BY DENYING ACCESS TOTHE BOOK TO THE CHILD OF THE PARENT WHO FILED THE COMPLAINT, OR BY REQUIRINGSTUDENTS TO HAVE PARENTAL PERMISSION BEFORE CHECKING OUT THE TEXTS IN QUESTION.TROUBLINGLY, ONE BOOK WAS RECORDED AS "DESTROYED BY THIRD PARTY; SCHOOLREIMBURSED."FIVE BOOKS WERE BANNED OUTRIGHT, INCLUDING EDGAR ALLEN POE'S "THE TELL TALE HEART"AND WALTER DEAN MYERS'S "MALCOLM X: BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY." ADDITIONALLY, AWORLD GEOGRAPHIC TEXTBOOK THAT DESCRIBED AFRICAN SLAVES AS 'IMMIGRANTS' AND'WORKERS' WAS ALSO BANNED.WWW.ACLUTX.ORG
12Malcolm X By AnyMeans NecessaryThe TellTale HeartWalter Dean MyersEdgar Allan PoeBANNED2 0 1 5 - 1 6DramaRaina TelgemeierWWW.ACLUTX.ORG3-5WorldGeographyThe Monkey'sPawMcGraw-HillW.W. Jacobs
BREAKDOWNBLUM ISDBOOK: MALCOLM X: BY ANY MEANSNECESSARY, BY WALTER DEAN MYERSSCHOOL: BLUM HIGH SCHOOLREASON CITED: OFFENSIVE TORELIGIOUS SENSITIVITIES;POLITICALLY, RACIALLY, OR SOCIALLYOFFENSIVEACTION TAKEN: BANNEDKIRBYVILLE CISDBOOK: DRAMA, RAINA TELGEMEIERSCHOOL: KIRBYVILLE JUNIOR HIGHSCHOOLREASON CITED: POLITICALLY,RACIALLY, OR SOCIALLY OFFENSIVEACTION TAKEN: BANNEDBEAUMONT ISDBOOK: WORLD GEOGRAPHY,MCGRAW-HILLSCHOOL: PEARLAND HIGH SCHOOLREASON CITED: DESCRIBES AFRICANSLAVES AS "WORKERS" AND"IMMIGRANTS"ACTION TAKEN: BANNEDPOTH ISDBOOK: THE TELL TALE HEART, EDGARALLAN POESCHOOL: POTH JUNIOR HIGHREASON CITED: VIOLENCE ORHORROR; OFFENSIVE TO RELIGIOUSSENSITIVITIESACTION TAKEN: BANNEDBOOK: THE MONKEY’S PAW, W.W.JACOBSSCHOOL: POTH JUNIOR HIGHREASON CITED: VIOLENCE OR HORRORACTION TAKEN: BANNEDWWW.ACLUTX.ORG
NEW BRAUNFELS ISDBOOK: I SURVIVED (THE ATTACKS OFSEPTEMBER 11, 2001), LAURENTARSHISSCHOOL: MEMORIAL ELEMENTARYSCHOOLREASON CITED: THE WORD TERRORISTBEING USEDACTION TAKEN: USE RESTRICTED,ALTERNATE ASSIGNMENT PROVIDEDNORTHSIDE ISDBOOK: HOMEROOM DIARIES, JAMESPATTERSONSCHOOL: NORTHSIDE ISD SECONDARYSCHOOLSREASON CITED: PROFANITYACTION TAKEN: USE RESTRICTEDMCKINNEY ISDBOOK: THIS ONE SUMMER, MARIKOTAMAKISCHOOL: WEBB ELEMENTARYREASON CITED: INAPPROPRIATE FORGRADE LEVELSACTION TAKEN: USE RESTRICTED;BOOKS TRANSFERRED TO HIGHSCHOOLSORENDA CHARTER SCHOOLBOOK: THE STRANGER, ALBERT CAMUSSCHOOL: GATEWAY COLLEGEPREPARATORY SCHOOLREASON CITED: VIOLENCE ORHORROR; OFFENSIVE TO RELIGIOUSSENSITIVITIESACTION TAKEN: RETAINEDMONTGOMERY ISDBOOK: THE HIGHWAYMAN (POEM),ALFRED NOYESSCHOOL: MONTGOMERY JUNIOR HIGHREASON CITED: PROFANITY; SEXUALCONTENT OR NUDITY; VIOLENCE ORHORROR; DRUGS OR ALCOHOLACTION TAKEN: RETAINEDTAYLOR ISDBOOK: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD,HARPER LEESCHOOL: TAYLOR MIDDLE SCHOOLREASON CITED: POLITICALLY,RACIALLY, OR SOCIALLY OFFENSIVEACTION TAKEN: RETAINED; NOVELFOUND TO BE APPROPRIATEACCORDING TO LOCAL POLICY EFAWWW.ACLUTX.ORG
NORTHWEST ISDBOOK: PUGDOG, ANDREA U'RENSCHOOL: BECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLREASON CITED: POLITICALLY,RACIALLY, OR SOCIALLY OFFENSIVE;ABOUT GENDER CONFUSION &IDENTITY; ALSO PROMOTES CROSSDRESSINGACTION TAKEN: RETAINEDHARMONY ISDBOOK: BLACK BUTLER #5 AND #6,YANA TOBOSOSCHOOL: HARMONY SCHOOL OFADVANCEMENTREASON CITED: OFFENSIVE TORELIGIOUS SENSITIVITIES;WITCHCRAFT, SATANIC, AND OCCULTTHEMESACTION TAKEN: DESTROYED BY THIRDPARTY; SCHOOL REIMBURSEDWWW.ACLUTX.ORG
five books were banned outright, including edgar allen poe's "the tell tale heart" and walter dean myers's "malcolm x: by any means necessary." additionally, a world geographic textbook that described african slaves as 'immigran
