Concerned local residents testified before the Lubbock Independent School District board of trustees during a specially called meeting regarding explicit books that can be found on the school library shelves district-wide.
During the Wednesday night board meeting, trustees heard several concerned local residents and members of a local Turning Point USA chapter read sexually explicit excerpts from flagged books. The activists argued that it is illegal for the books to remain on school library shelves.
Testifiers read from books including “The Female of the Species,” “Nineteen Minutes,” “Heroine,” “Kingdom of the Ash,” and “Lighter than My Shadow.”
Stephen Lara, a leader of the Lubbock Turning Point USA chapter, told the committee that the group believes that the district is “failing to follow the laws and standards established to protect Texas children.”
Lara also read a statement from State Board of Education Member Julie Pickren (R–Pearland), who asserted that “pornography can have lasting harmful effects on developing minds” and that “early exposure can contribute to distorted views of sex and relationships, sexual risk-taking, compulsive behaviors, and normalization of sexual explicit material.”
Activists highlighted that these books are indecent and profane, and celebrate, normalize, and encourage “things that are damaging to individuals, families, and communities.” Several residents testified that it is “illegal” for these materials to remain on school library shelves under newly enacted state law Senate Bill 13.
A handful of community members objected to the removal of these books from the school library shelves, claiming that the district already has a parental choice system and that these books build a child’s resilience to real-world issues.
After public testimony, the board proceeded to vote on appeals of books challenged by community members.
Challenged books “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews, “Heroine” by Mindy McGinnis, “Kingdom of Ash” Sarah J. Maas, “Lighter Than My Shadow” by Katie Green, “Lord of Shadows” by Cassandra Clare, “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, “Lady Midnight” by Cassandra Clare, and “The Female of the Species” by Mindy McGinnis, were all moved to or kept in high school libraries by the board.
This action by the Lubbock ISD board of trustees follows Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s warning for school districts to “be aware” that if they continue to refuse to remove explicit books before the next legislative session, lawmakers could pass legislation to drop the school district’s letter accountability rating down one.
