Trustees in Princeton Independent School District have removed more than 100 “inappropriate” library books from circulation for review in response to concerns raised by public education advocates.
Grassroots advocacy group Citizens Defending Freedom found the questionable titles through an audit of the school district’s libraries.
Collin County CDF Education Division Lead Shannon Ayres exposed the content of some of the books at Princeton ISD’s February 26 school board meeting.
Ayres said CDF volunteers searched Princeton ISD libraries for 408 titles they believe violate standards imposed by House Bill 900, legislation that prohibits explicit or educationally unsuitable books in school libraries.
The audit found 148 of the titles in Princeton school libraries.
In response to CDF’s findings, Princeton ISD officials took immediate action to remove the identified books from circulation for review.
“As of today, almost all of them have been removed for review,” said Ayres.
Ayres told trustees that inappropriate books get into school libraries because they are promoted by influential entities like the American Library Association and Scholastic.
She said the ALA, once a trusted resource for libraries, has come under scrutiny for its advocacy of sexually explicit content and its opposition to faith-based events in libraries, while publisher and book fair vendor Scholastic now promotes sexually explicit material and harmful ideologies.
“For decades districts and parents have relied on these institutions to recommend quality educational material. Most people don’t realize those same institutions have dramatically shifted against the values of most parents,” said Ayres.
Ayres recommended that Princeton ISD audit its entire library collection with volunteers from the community, cut ties with the ALA to instead use the World Library Association, and choose alternatives to Scholastic book fairs such as SkyTree.
“We are so grateful to have Citizens Defending Freedom conduct such thorough research, providing us with the understanding and tools necessary to prioritize our students’ health and safety,” said Princeton ISD School Board President Cyndi Darland.
CDF Collin County has audited libraries in several local school districts and brought attention to dozens of sexually explicit books in Plano ISD school libraries.
Collin County families seeking help auditing their school libraries can contact Citizens Defending Freedom for information and support.
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