Education Department Opens Federal Civil Rights Investigation Into a Texas School District's Banning of LGBTQ Books

[CoffeeTiger 6,260]

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In January, when (superintendent) Glenn met with librarians, he told them that the new school board was “very, very conservative” and that any employee who holds different political views had “better hide it,” according to the recording of his comments. In the days that followed, the district embarked on one of the largest mass book removals in the state, pulling 130 titles, most of which featured LGBTQ characters or themes.

 

This is good to see. Appears that this specific school district had several anti-LGBTQ bigots elected onto its school board and now they are attempting to can and remove any and all books from the schools that deal with or mention lgbtq matters in any way. I support this investigation as this is no different than if a school district tired to remove all books that featured white/black people or tried to remove all books that mention or deal wth Christianity or other protected classes. 

 

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-banned-books-library-granbury-lgbtq

 

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The U.S. Education Department’s civil rights enforcement arm has launched an investigation into a North Texas school district whose superintendent was secretly recorded ordering librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books.

Education and legal experts say the federal probe of the Granbury Independent School District — which stemmed from a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and reporting by NBC News, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune — appears to be the first such investigation explicitly tied to the nationwide movement to ban school library books dealing with sexuality and gender.

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights notified Granbury school officials on Dec. 6 that it had opened the investigation following a July complaint by the ACLU, which accused the district of violating a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. The ACLU complaint was based largely on an investigation published in March by NBC News, ProPublica and the Tribune that revealed that Granbury’s superintendent, Jeremy Glenn, instructed librarians to remove books dealing with sexual orientation and people who are transgender.

“I acknowledge that there are men that think they’re women and there are women that think they’re men,” Glenn told librarians in January, according to a leaked recording of the meeting obtained, verified and published exclusively by the news outlets. “I don’t have any issues with what people want to believe, but there’s no place for it in our libraries.”

Later in the meeting, Glenn clarified that he was specifically focused on removing books geared toward queer students: “It’s the transgender, LGBTQ and the sex — sexuality — in books,” he said, according to the recording.

The comments, combined with the district’s subsequent decision to remove dozens of library books pending a review, fostered a “pervasively hostile” environment for LGBTQ students, the ACLU wrote in its complaint. Chloe Kempf, an ACLU attorney, said the Education Department’s decision to open the investigation into Granbury ISD signals that the agency is concerned about what she described as “a wave” of anti-LGBTQ policies and book removals nationally.

“In this case it was made very clear, because the superintendent kind of said the quiet part out loud,” Kempf said in an interview. “It’s pretty clear that that kind of motivation is animating a lot of these policies nationwide.”

An Education Department spokesperson confirmed the investigation and said it was related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits schools from discriminating on the basis of sex, gender and sexual orientation. The Office for Civil Rights doesn’t comment on pending investigations, the spokesperson said.

If the investigation confirms violations of students’ rights in Granbury schools, the agency can require the district to make policy changes and submit to federal monitoring.

Neither Glenn nor the district responded to messages Monday. In an earlier statement following the news outlets’ reporting in March, the district said it was committed to supporting students of all backgrounds. And the district said that its primary focus is educating students but that “the values of our community will always be reflected in our schools.”

Granbury, a town 40 miles west of Fort Worth, has been embroiled in a heated debate over what types of books children should be allowed to read at school.

 

Last year, voters in Granbury elected a pair of school board members who campaigned against LGBTQ-affirming school curricula and library books. Afterward, Glenn began asking district administrators about several books that an unnamed school board member had found in the district’s online catalog, according to text messages reviewed by NBC News, ProPublica and The Tribune. The messages from the board member to Glenn included screenshots of eight titles, all of which dealt with LGBTQ topics, with the words “gay,” “trans” and “gender” highlighted in some of the book descriptions.

In January, when Glenn met with librarians, he told them that the new school board was “very, very conservative” and that any employee who holds different political views had “better hide it,” according to the recording of his comments. In the days that followed, the district embarked on one of the largest mass book removals in the state, pulling 130 titles, most of which featured LGBTQ characters or themes.

After a volunteer review committee voted to return all but a few of the titles, two disgruntled members of the committee filed a police report in May accusing district employees of providing “pornography” to children, triggering a monthslong criminal investigation by Hood County Constable Chad Jordan, which remained open as of August. Jordan didn’t respond to messages requesting an update on the investigation.

All of that — including the fact that Glenn has never apologized or walked back his comments — has created an unwelcoming environment for LGBTQ students in the Granbury district, the ACLU argued in its complaint.

“These comments, combined with the book removals, really send a message to LGBTQ students in the districts that: ‘You don’t belong here. Your existence is shameful. It should be censored,’” Kempf said.

In recent months, Granbury parents and voters have continued to pressure the district to remove books with LGBTQ themes or descriptions of sex. Last month, Karen Lowery, one of the women who sought criminal charges against Granbury librarians, won a seat on the school board; she has vowed to purge books that she has deemed inappropriate for children. Of the nearly 80 titles conservative activists want banned, 3 out of 5 feature LGBTQ characters or themes, according to an analysis of books posted on GranburyTexasBooks.org, a website where they have compiled parent reviews.

Lowery didn’t respond to messages requesting comment.

At her first meeting as a school board trustee on Dec. 12 — one week after the Office for Civil Rights notified the district it had opened an investigation — Lowery called for all “obscene” books to be pulled from shelves. In response, Glenn asked her to provide a list of titles so the board could discuss it at a future meeting.

"I think as a district, we do want to resolve this," Glenn said of the library book controversy. "Speaking on behalf of every administrator in the room, and probably community members because I know there are a few of you that are ready to have this behind you, too."

Education and legal experts said the Education Department’s decision to open an investigation in Granbury is significant because it sets up a test of a somewhat novel legal argument by the ACLU: the idea that book removals themselves can create a hostile environment for certain classes of students.

“It’s certainly the first investigation I’ve seen by the agency testing that argument in this way,” said W. Scott Lewis, a managing partner at TNG, a consulting firm that advises school districts on complying with federal civil rights laws.

 

The ACLU of Texas made similar legal arguments in another civil rights complaint filed last month against the Keller Independent School District in North Texas in response to a policy banning any books that mention “gender fluidity.” The Education Department has yet to decide whether to open an investigation in Keller, Kempf said.

Jonathan Friedman, the director of free expression and education at the nonprofit PEN America, which has tracked thousands of school book bans since last year, said the same legal argument could be made in districts across the country where parents, school board members and administrators have expressed anti-LGBTQ motivations.

“It’s not uncommon to see people explicitly saying that they want to remove LGBTQ books because they believe they are indoctrinating students,” said Friedman, who cited a case in Florida in which a teacher called for the removal of a children’s picture book about two male penguins because, she said, it promoted the “LGBTQ agenda.”

Granbury isn’t the only North Texas school district facing federal scrutiny.

The Office for Civil Rights over the past year has opened five investigations into allegations of discrimination at the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, a wealthy Fort Worth suburb that has been at the center of the national political fight over the ways schools address racism, gender and sexuality. If the Education Department finds Carroll students’ rights have been violated, experts said, the federal agency could require the district to implement the same types of diversity and inclusion training programs that conservative activists have fought to block in Southlake.

Carroll Superintendent Lane Ledbetter has said the district has taken steps, including retraining staff members in how to handle bullying complaints, to ensure students from all backgrounds feel safe at school.

“If OCR determines that there are steps that we can take beyond what we have implemented, then we will absolutely comply,” Ledbetter said in a video address to the community after news of the federal civil rights investigation broke last year. “My priorities are kids, and we’re going to keep them safe.”

As in Southlake, some students and parents in Granbury say they’re counting on federal investigators to force changes.

Lou Whiting, 17, a nonbinary senior at Granbury High School, said Glenn’s recorded comments made them feel unsafe and unwelcome at school. Whiting, who helped organize student protests of the book removals, cried when they learned that the federal government had opened an investigation.

“It’s just really good to hear that there are people who are listening to us and actually doing something about it,” Whiting said. “It means a lot to hear that our efforts meant something.”

 

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

Texas is not required to teach sex in their schools.  There is an opt-in for parents.

After more than two decades, the Texas State Board of Education is finally catching up too. It has updated the health curriculum, including sexual health, for elementary and middle school students. The new curriculum, which will be taught starting in fall 2022, includes detailed information about birth control and STIs for the first time. 

But it leaves out some key elements advocates wanted to see. And despite the state's high teen birth rate, a recent policy change by Texas leaders made sex education opt-in, rather than opt-out, which means some kids might not get any instruction in schools at all.

But the new curriculum still leaves things out. It does not include instruction on consent, gender or LGBTQ+ topics. Those omissions reflect a larger battle for control over what information kids can access, that's seen book bans, pride events and trans youth targeted by lawmakers.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/30/1094446995/texas-got-a-sex-ed-update-but-students-and-educators-say-theres-still-a-lot-miss

So, why would a school library have books in them that are not discussed in any class.  As an example; the Bible is not taught in any class in Texas and the Bible is probably not in the library.

[CoffeeTiger 6,260]

2 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Texas is not required to teach sex in their schools.  There is an opt-in for parents.

After more than two decades, the Texas State Board of Education is finally catching up too. It has updated the health curriculum, including sexual health, for elementary and middle school students. The new curriculum, which will be taught starting in fall 2022, includes detailed information about birth control and STIs for the first time. 

But it leaves out some key elements advocates wanted to see. And despite the state's high teen birth rate, a recent policy change by Texas leaders made sex education opt-in, rather than opt-out, which means some kids might not get any instruction in schools at all.

But the new curriculum still leaves things out. It does not include instruction on consent, gender or LGBTQ+ topics. Those omissions reflect a larger battle for control over what information kids can access, that's seen book bans, pride events and trans youth targeted by lawmakers.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/30/1094446995/texas-got-a-sex-ed-update-but-students-and-educators-say-theres-still-a-lot-miss

So, why would a school library have books in them that are not discussed in any class.  As an example; the Bible is not taught in any class in Texas and the Bible is probably not in the library.

Because a school library is not supposed to exclusively have books and material that is only covered in classes. That would be a pretty empty library and would be devoid of many critical books, topics, and materials.  
 

And why would a school library not have a Bible in it? The Bible is a book and a pretty historic one at that. It should be in a library. Schools can’t teach or advocate for religion but they can have religious books In them if children want to read them. 
 

 

 

[homersapien 12,645]

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Because a school library is not supposed to exclusively have books and material that is only covered in classes. That would be a pretty empty library and would be devoid of many critical books, topics, and materials.  
 

And why would a school library not have a Bible in it? The Bible is a book and a pretty historic one at that. It should be in a library. Schools can’t teach or advocate for religion but they can have religious books In them if children want to read them. 
 

 

 

The point is that Texas does not teach sex ed unless the parents opt-in.  Why would the board have LGBTQ1+ books in the library?  If the kids want to read up on that subject there are other libraries and/or book stores they can visit.  I don’t think the schools are obligated to provide this material.

[homersapien 12,645]

13 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

The point is that Texas does not teach sex ed unless the parents opt-in.  Why would the board have LGBTQ1+ books in the library?  If the kids want to read up on that subject there are other libraries and/or book stores they can visit.  I don’t think the schools are obligated to provide this material.

Can you define by what you mean by a "LGBTQ book"?

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

11 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Can you define by what you mean by a "LGBTQ book"?

What I mean by LGBTQ book?  Read the article, it’s in the title.  I’m using that concept of the word.

[CoffeeTiger 6,260]

14 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

The point is that Texas does not teach sex ed unless the parents opt-in.  Why would the board have LGBTQ1+ books in the library?  If the kids want to read up on that subject there are other libraries and/or book stores they can visit.  I don’t think the schools are obligated to provide this material.

Like homer said, I don't know what you mean by LGBTQ books. The school board isn't just removing "Sex education" books it's removing any book that has lgbtq characters or lgbtq representation or relationships in it period. This includes fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, educational books, etc. That's discrimination based on a protected class and is/should be illegal. 

 

I'm surprised that you support an obviously political school board controlling what content libraries are allowed to have. You're advocating that parents who don't want their kids to learn a certain topic have 100% full control over what each and every other child learns or has access to. That's very dystopian thinking. 

A library shouldn't be politicized and shouldn't cater to only one belief set or one set of values. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by CoffeeTiger

[homersapien 12,645]

52 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

What I mean by LGBTQ book?  Read the article, it’s in the title.  I’m using that concept of the word.

"The messages from the board member to Glenn included screenshots of eight titles, all of which dealt with LGBTQ topics, with the words “gay,” “trans” and “gender” highlighted in some of the book descriptions."

So, you agree with that "definition"?

 

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

8 minutes ago, homersapien said:

"The messages from the board member to Glenn included screenshots of eight titles, all of which dealt with LGBTQ topics, with the words “gay,” “trans” and “gender” highlighted in some of the book descriptions."

So, you agree with that "definition"?

 

This is the first paragraph in the ProPublica article Coffee posted:

The U.S. Education Department’s civil rights enforcement arm has launched an investigation into a North Texas school district whose superintendent was secretly recorded ordering librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books.

Now if you want to dive into what that means, go ahead.  I’m not playing.

[homersapien 12,645]

7 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

This is the first paragraph in the ProPublica article Coffee posted:

The U.S. Education Department’s civil rights enforcement arm has launched an investigation into a North Texas school district whose superintendent was secretly recorded ordering librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books.

Now if you want to dive into what that means, go ahead.  I’m not playing.

BS.  You probably post more on this topic than any other.  You just don't care to have your opinions examined so you're evading a response.

So, do you agree with what this superintendent is doing or not?

Edited December 21, 2022 by homersapien

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

17 minutes ago, homersapien said:

BS.  You probably post more on this topic than any other.  You just don't care to have your opinions examined so you're evading a response.

So, do you agree with what this superintendent is doing or not?

Ok, you are either overly obtuse or ignorant. L=Lesbian, G=Gay, B=Bisexual, T=Transgender and Q=Queer themed books would include these topics.

[homersapien 12,645]

26 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Ok, you are either overly obtuse or ignorant. L=Lesbian, G=Gay, B=Bisexual, T=Transgender and Q=Queer themed books would include these topics.

Your evasion tactics are hilarious. 

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

59 minutes ago, homersapien said:

So, do you agree with what this superintendent is doing or not?

Is this what you are asking?

This is what I said earlier in the thread:

The point is that Texas does not teach sex ed unless the parents opt-in.  Why would the board have LGBTQ1+ books in the library?  If the kids want to read up on that subject there are other libraries and/or book stores they can visit.  I don’t think the schools are obligated to provide this material.

To add to that; so, if you can’t figure it out, yes I do agree with the superintendent as it is his school district to govern.  He is not forbidding students or parents from going to other libraries or book stores if they have an interest in the subject.  It would not be fair to the parents who opt out of sex education to expose their children to this material.

The issue is the Feds and the ridiculous EOs Biden signed in his first days in office.  Does that overrule local school districts.  I don’t think so.

[homersapien 12,645]

9 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Is this what you are asking?

This is what I said earlier in the thread:

The point is that Texas does not teach sex ed unless the parents opt-in.  Why would the board have LGBTQ1+ books in the library?  If the kids want to read up on that subject there are other libraries and/or book stores they can visit.  I don’t think the schools are obligated to provide this material.

To add to that; so, if you can’t figure it out, yes I do agree with the superintendent as it is his school district to govern.  He is not forbidding students or parents from going to other libraries or book stores if they have an interest in the subject.  It would not be fair to the parents who opt out of sex education to expose their children to this material.

The issue is the Feds and the ridiculous EOs Biden signed in his first days in office.  Does that overrule local school districts.  I don’t think so.

So, in essence.  "Don't say gay".

Do you think that, in principle, it's possible to have a book that affirms the identity/self-esteem of a gay child without threatening the identity/self-esteem of a heterosexual child?

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

7 minutes ago, homersapien said:

So, in essence.  "Don't say gay".

Do you think that, in principle, it's possible to have a book that affirms the identity/self-esteem of a gay child without threatening the identity/self-esteem of a heterosexual child?

In high school, sure.  The Parental Rights Bill in Florida and what we are talking about in Texas is K-3.  If you believe the maturity level for the elementary kids are on par with high school kids, you’ve never had kids.

[homersapien 12,645]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

In high school, sure.  The Parental Rights Bill in Florida and what we are talking about in Texas is K-3.  If you believe the maturity level for the elementary kids are on par with high school kids, you’ve never had kids.

I believe there are kids who become self aware of their homosexuality well before they enter high school and I suspect these kids are particularly susceptible to self-esteem issues as well as bullying. And likely, bullying is even more prevalent in junior high than senior high. Well, unless the existence of homosexuality is not presented to them before the get to high school.

And while I don't have kids, I once was one.  I distinctly remember one or two (maybe more?) kids who were "queer" and socially isolated from the rest of us while in grammar and junior high.

If you really think kids pre-high school are too young to be presented with the reality of homosexuality and that's it's not necessarily evil or threatening then I suggest you are underestimating kids intellectual capacity for understanding such information.  (And it's not like they are unaware of it.)

And regardless of what the Florida bill says, we are current talking about the "school library" which certainly covers junior high.

Edited December 21, 2022 by homersapien

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

For the kids who believe they are *different* at an early age, the parents are the ones to talk to about it.  The schools have taken on rolls that they should not.  The parent should know more that the schools about their own children and if the school stumbles on some information, the parent should be notified.  No school should keep any gender confusion from the parents, but it happens.

[CoffeeTiger 6,260]

43 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

 

The point is that Texas does not teach sex ed unless the parents opt-in.  Why would the board have LGBTQ1+ books in the library?  If the kids want to read up on that subject there are other libraries and/or book stores they can visit.  I don’t think the schools are obligated to provide this material.

To add to that; so, if you can’t figure it out, yes I do agree with the superintendent as it is his school district to govern.  He is not forbidding students or parents from going to other libraries or book stores if they have an interest in the subject.  It would not be fair to the parents who opt out of sex education to expose their children to this material.

 

 

so again….what about the parents that do opt in to sex education and would like their children to have access to books on the topic. Why do the parents that want to keep their kids uninformed and undereducated get to control the experience, material, and education available to everyone else? 
That’s just common sense, not even touching the fact that the school can’t legally remove lgbtq based on discrimination, which is what this is. 

It’s like, theoretically, if a school had a class about Christianity and allowed parents to ‘opt in/opt out’ their kids of that class and the atheist/other religions not only opted out their children from the class but then demanded that the school remove ALL books and material that mention/advocate for/ or have characters that are Christian or feature Christian characters or are written by Christian authors. That would be wrong and discriminatory and the same is true in this instance. 
 

 

[CoffeeTiger 6,260]

20 minutes ago, homersapien said:

I believe there are kids who become self aware of their homosexuality well before they enter high school and I suspect these kids are particularly susceptible to self-esteem issues as well as bullying. And likely, bullying is even more prevalent in junior high than senior high. Well, unless the existence of homosexuality is not presented to them before high school.

And while I don't have kids, I once was one.  I distinctly remember one or two (maybe more?) kids who were "queer" and socially isolated from the rest of us while in grammar and junior high.

If you really think kids pre-high school are too young to be presented with the reality of homosexuality and that's it's not necessarily evil or threatening then I suggest you are underestimating kids intellectual capacity for understanding such information.  And it's not like they are unaware of it.

And regardless of what the Florida bill says, we are current talking about the "school library" which certainly covers junior high.

At its base level all these Republican ‘parental choice’ bills have nothing to do with the health, mentality, or welfare of the children.
 

it’s even in the name of many of the Bills…it’s about parents and their desires. In particular it’s about giving conservative/Christian parents the ability and ‘right’ to prevent their children from being exposed to people ,ideas, and topics that the parents don’t politically or religiously agree with. Education and life experience be damned.What’s best for the children doesn’t matter…in fact Conservatives believe that parents desires are always best for the children….as long as those desires are politically and culturally Conservative in nature. 
 

parents who choose to support their kids lgbtq identity, or take their kids to a drag show, or allow their teens to take sex education are actually evil pedo groomers and child abusers…parental choice only applies if you choose to raise your kids into Conservative beliefs. 
 

it’s just a big con. And especially In Texas where there will be hundreds of thousands of children that will grow into adults without knowing anything about how pregnancy, sex, STDs, or safe sex works because their parents decided that sex is of the devil and can’t be talked about until they are married.
it’s why heavily conservative/Christian areas usually have higher than average teen pregnancy and STD rates because the kids were never taught s*** about the real world. 

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

13 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

so again….what about the parents that do opt in to sex education and would like their children to have access to books on the topic.

If it is not being taught at the school they can go to the book store or public library to get the resource material. 

 

14 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Why do the parents that want to keep their kids uninformed and undereducated get to control the experience, material, and education available to everyone else? 

Not the point.  It is not being taught, if the parents (as you put) that want their kid to be informed and educated, they can get the resource material on their own without demanding it be taught or available to everyone.

School can’t have a class on Christianity as it would be illegal to teach a specific religion.  They would have to have a club and bring their own resource material.

 

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

9 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

it’s about parents and their desires. In particular it’s about giving conservative/Christian parents the ability and ‘right’ to prevent their children from being exposed to people ,ideas, and topics that the parents don’t politically or religiously agree with. Education and life experience be damned.What’s best for the children doesn’t matter

Unbelievable.  Of course if is about the parents desires for their children.  The parents are responsible for teaching their child about such things and if the parent doesn’t believe they should be taught at a particular age then that is up to the parent.  Schools are there to teach fundamentals of the core subjects anything else should be off limits until they are older and by older I mean high school.

What’s best for the children as determined by who?  The school?  Or the parent?  The school has NOTHING to do with what is best for the child.

[Leftfield 3,683]

27 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

The school has NOTHING to do with what is best for the child.

Then why send children to school?

[I_M4_AU 9,561]

10 minutes ago, Leftfield said:

Then why send children to school?

To learn the core subjects. So, who determines what is best for the child?

[CoffeeTiger 6,260]

 

 

56 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Not the point.  It is not being taught, if the parents (as you put) that want their kid to be informed and educated, they can get the resource material on their own without demanding it be taught or available to everyone.

School can’t have a class on Christianity as it would be illegal to teach a specific religion.  They would have to have a club and bring their own resource material.

 

 

 

This isn't how School libraries work. Did you know you can actually browse what books are available to students at the Texas school district online right now? Right here: https://granburyisd.follettdestiny.com/common/welcome.jsp?context=saas002_4239117 

Go to any given school library in that Texas district and look for Christian books and see what you can find. 

At the Acton Elementary School library for example you have books like "Animals of the Bible: A Picture Book". "Noahs ark: A story from the bible". The Living Bible" The Three Wise men" etc. 

So we are clear...your opinion is that because Acton Middle School cannot teach or advocate for Christianity and that the bible is not taught in any school curriculum or classroom, that you would 100% support these Christian books I just listed being removed and banned from the Library because they cover topics that are not taught in the school..Am I correct? 

Edited December 21, 2022 by CoffeeTiger