Our shared community values are under attack. News outlets and social media platforms have been flooded with misinformation and patently false lies. Make no mistake, Keller Independent School District has not banned the Bible or the “Diary of Anne Frank”.
Where did this lie generate from? A Woke mob with a reckless agenda.
I’ll give you the brief background. A community member was made privy to an email, which was intended only to provide policy direction for district staff. The email directed KISD staff to execute the updated board policy and remove resources on the challenged list. Per Board policy, all previously challenged materials will now be reviewed under the new Content Rating guidelines as approved unanimously by the Board of Trustees on August 8.
The intentional leak of this email to the media by activists in our community was intended to create a firestorm of fake news. Even more concerning, our educators and as a result, our students are now under attack. The crowd of self-proclaimed ‘supporters of public education’ relentlessly harassed, demeaned, and threatened the same people they supposedly desire to protect. Our 4,400 staff and educators work faithfully, day in and day out, for the 35,000+ plus students of our great district.
After reviewing the correspondence, it is clear that the Woke mob will take no prisoners in their war to indoctrinate our children and destroy education. Teachers, district staff, parents, students and community members—they will use anyone to further their agenda. They are unhinged and have again exposed their true motives.
The majority of our new school board has acted without delay to review and remove sexually explicit materials from schools in response to a community that urged action. How was this material ever allowed to be available to minors in the first place? This is the real story.
Based on the Board’s new policy that immediately removed all previously challenged books from the shelves for further review, the graphic adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank and the Bible are being temporarily reviewed along with all other books. Since the purpose of this policy is to protect children, I highly anticipate that these two books will be back on the shelves very soon. The fact that these two books were challenged in the first place is a clear attempt to undermine our commitment to removing other obscene content from schools.
Radical activists are working to continually assault our youngest generation. The woke mob’s latest episode is just the latest display. Some may argue “censorship”, while never once encouraging people to read excerpts from the books that even the media is forbidden from publishing due to the obscene content. It’s a deceptive spin. Nothing in the First Amendment requires minor children to read obscene, sexually explicit content. In fact, Texas’s penal code forbids it.
We are setting boundaries, not banning. We are prioritizing innocence over agendas. We are protecting the academic sanctity of the learning environment. Kids are off limits when it comes to adults wanting to push their political ideology. All politics and sexually explicit material have no place in the classroom.
What is the collateral damage when adults can’t behave? Teachers and students. Teachers who dedicate their lives to shape, teach, and lead the next generation. And students who deserve the opportunity to receive an excellent education.
Not only am I a sitting Trustee, but I am also a mother of six. I have spent most of my adult life advocating for the next generation, with a focus on young women. The fact that most of the vitriol and hate is coming from men is ironic.
I also had the privilege to sit on the challenge committee for the Bible in the spring of 2022. As a follower of Jesus Christ, it was an honor to proudly defend why the Bible should stay in our school libraries. The committee voted unanimously to keep the Bible in the schools (the original challenger was a no show). I’m confident it will be back on shelves soon once all challenged materials are reviewed with the new Content Rating Rubric.
As Vice Chair of the Keller Independent School District Board of Trustees, I can tell you that the majority of this Board believes it is imperative to follow through on our promises to protect children from sexually explicit, age-inappropriate content in schools.
The next generation is absolutely worth the political arrows. They need us to stand up, protect, and advocate for them. The Woke mob can attack me, a mother of 6, a substitute teacher, and a youth mentor who is elected to serve our amazing community–but they need to keep our educators out of their crosshairs.
Sandi Walker is the Vice Chairwoman of the Keller Independent School District Board of Trustees. She is a Christian, a Wife, and a mom above all else. You can reach her at [email protected].