A local activist group is accusing Fort Worth ISD of providing its students access to dozens of books containing “objectionable” content, including depictions of nudity and sexual activity.
Tarrant County Citizens Defending Freedom (TCCDF) made use of the online book review website BookLooks.org, which publishes “book content reviews centered around objectionable content, including profanity, nudity, and sexual content” for parents.
According to The Texan, TCCDF members found 76 different books — totaling more than 500 copies — in circulation at Fort Worth ISD that received high marks by BookLooks for inappropriateness. They then emailed the district’s board of trustees and superintendent, informing them of some of the content contained in the titles.
“Ultimately, we would like to see [Fort Worth ISD] pass a stronger book policy that protects children and removes books that are not appropriate,” said TCCDF education lead Kris Kittle, speaking with The Texan.
Fort Worth ISD trustees offered varied responses to the communications sent by TCCDF, with some claiming they would look into the matter and others suggesting they did not see anything wrong with the books cited.
“FWISD Administration has already researched and addressed the concerns mentioned in your letter,” responded Trustee Anne Darr, per The Texan.
For his part, Trustee Michael Ryan wrote, “We will address this.”
Still, a number of advocacy organizations focused on the First Amendment have posited that the books causing concern in Texas do not reach the threshold of legal obscenity.
In a previous statement to The Dallas Express, Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said:
“Every claim I’ve seen that a book is legally obscene is completely frivolous. The bar for legal obscenity is very high. It isn’t met by speech that merely references sex, especially if the speech is part of a literary work.”
The issue of controversial books in school libraries has been widespread in North Texas, with parents in multiple school districts voicing their concern over students having access to materials some believe could be legally obscene.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dallas ISD prompted numerous protests by parents and community members after keeping the book Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by Lev A.C. Rosen on its library shelves for months after some of the sexual content in the work was brought to the attention of the district’s board of trustees.
“If it had been a movie, it would be rated X. It’s offensive and completely inappropriate for our children,” Tami Brown Rodriguez told The Dallas Express back in February.
Dallas ISD seemingly pulled the title from shelves earlier this year.
Still, the district has retained several controversial titles, including some identified by TCCDF like Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey. BookLooks gave the book a 4 out of 5 for containing “illustrations depicting non-sexual nudity; sexual activities including sexual assault.”