Lake Travis ISD considers banning 2 books from school library
LAKE TRAVIS, Texas - Two books are at the center of a controversial debate at Lake Travis ISD.
The school district heard an appeal to remove "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" and "The Haters" by Jesse Andrews from school shelves.
Recently, the books went before a committee, and members decided to give the all-clear to keep the books at the high school.
In a vote last night, the board voted 4 to 2 to uphold the committee's decision and keep "Me, Earl and the Dying Girl" in circulation.
The board voted 4 to 2 to remove "The Haters" from circulation.
"It is a great example of creative writing, and books like this should be available in the library, particularly for kids involved and interested in pursuing writing and the arts," said a person on the committee. "It belongs in the library."
"When I talk about removal, I don't mean remove the books from Amazon or the stores or public libraries. I mean removal from the taxpayer-funded public schools K-12," said an LTISD parent.
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Those who want to see the books removed say it’s inappropriate for students, adding it provides no educational value.
"I’ll spare you the reading," said a speaker asking to remove the books. "It would make a crow blush."
In response, the author said "books don’t hurt people" and while it may have some sexually explicit content, it’s not pornographic.
What concerns him more is getting kids to read at higher levels.
Many of the speakers in favor of keeping the books, said the books have done just that, if not more.
"The reality is that many high schoolers have to deal with these difficult and complex topics, so it’s important to have books in the libraries that reflect our lives and struggles," said an LTISD student.
Jesse Andrews sent the following statement to FOX 7 Austin:
"Books don't hurt people, and poor literacy is kneecapping our country. I have yet to hear from anyone who was harmed by a book. Meanwhile, the average American adult reads at a seventh-grade level. That is a catastrophe. It's a big part of why our national conversation is so degraded and simplistic and hostile.
So to me, any book that kids enjoy, and gets them to read more, is one we need on shelves.
I agree with this parent that my books are sexually explicit. (I don't agree with the numerous parents and activists who call the books "pornographic," which I think is inflammatory and dishonest.) I don't agree that that's a good reason to remove a book from a middle or high school library, although I do believe in restricted access in some cases, like requiring a librarian's permission to check out a sexually explicit book in middle school. Librarians are a great resource and we should involve them as much as we can!
I also think a puritanical silence around sex, and attempts to scrub it from the culture, only lead to worse outcomes among teenagers. The fewer resources teenagers have to understand themselves and their feelings, frankly, the worse behavior we can expect from them, and the more danger we put them in."