SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) — Instead of a committee, one person will decide the fate of Fort Bend ISD library books.
The fight over library books is center stage at Fort Bend ISD. On Monday, the school board approved a policy that would allow the superintendent to remove books instead of a five-person committee.
The change had Anna Lykoudis Zafiris fired up.
Zafiris is part of a Friends of FBISD Libraries group. She spoke at Monday’s meeting about the proposed policy that she believes would give the superintendent too much power.
“This is a very bad omen for the district,” Zafiris explained. “It shows that these board members are not respecting professionals in the educational sphere.”
Before the new policy, if a book is challenged, the district buys five copies for the committee to read and determine if it should stay, be removed, or restricted.
The policy allows the superintendent or a designee to remove a book. The superintendent can also create a committee but would have the power to singlehandedly overturn any recommendation.
“That’s a compromising situation for a superintendent to be in because of the influence and the power the board has over them,” Zafiris said. “They could lose their job because they serve at the board’s discretion.”
One member of the board has pushed for this change for months. Earlier this summer, ABC13 obtained records from the district showing David Hamilton was the only board member who challenged books this year.
After the story ran, Hamilton told ABC13 that as many as 10 others also challenged books. Hamilton said he challenged the books despite not reading them, only excerpts.
Months ago, he explained why he wanted fewer people making the decision.
“I think that process is appropriate if it’s more of a debatable gray area situation, but I don’t think anybody would say we should have a school book in our libraries where a teacher is grooming and then having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old,” Hamilton said in June.
In the documents ABC13 obtained, Hamilton said the challenged books were suited for perverted adults. Despite this, the review committee didn’t remove all the books.
A University of Houston education professor told ABC13 about the importance of having a diverse committee participate in the process. Some parents say they’re worried books could easily be removed from shelves.
“We need to trust the educators,” Zafiris said. “This is the reason we’re educating the new doctors, lawyers, teachers, librarians, and astronauts. They have a purpose.”
The one person ABC13 hasn’t heard from about the potential change is the person who could be tasked with removing books– the superintendent.
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