The U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating a North Texas school district after its superintendent was secretly recorded giving instructions to librarians to remove books containing LGBT themes from the library.
The Office notified officials from Granbury school about the investigation on Dec. 6. The investigation stems from a letter of complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in July that accused the school district of violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits discrimination based on sex, gender, and sexual orientation.
The letter was based on a report published in March by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica, and NBC News that revealed that the school’s superintendent, Jeremy Glenn, ordered the removal of the books.
“I acknowledge that there are men that think they’re women and there are women that think they’re men … I don’t have any issues with what people want to believe, but there’s no place for it in our libraries,” Glenn told librarians in January, per a leaked recording published by the news outlets.
Glenn later clarified that the books he wants removed are those with themes of “transgender, LGBTQ and the sex—sexuality.”
Book Removal
In an interview with the outlets, ACLU attorney Chloe Kempf said that the Education Department’s decision to investigate Gransbury is a sign that the agency is worried about a “wave” of anti-LGBT policies and book removals seen across America.
A recently elected member of the school board has vowed to purge books that are considered to be inappropriate for children. During a school board meeting on Dec. 12, the member called for all “obscene” books to be removed from the library. Glenn asked the person to provide a list of books to be removed for further discussion.
“I think as a district, we do want to resolve this,” Glenn said about the library book controversy, according to the Tribune. “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.”
An investigation by the Office of Civil Rights can take months and even years to find a resolution. In case a violation is discovered, it usually works to negotiate a voluntary resolution agreement. Officials from the department will then oversee how the policies outlined in the resolution agreement are being implemented.
LGBT Agenda in Schools
Many schools have come under scrutiny for exposing students to books with graphic LGBT content. An English teacher from San Juan Hills High in California recently sparked controversy for promoting a “queer library”’ that contained sexually explicit material, including information on orgies and BDSM.
“Don’t get me wrong, my students love that library. It has been very helpful for many students figuring out who they are, how to relate to their peers,” the teacher said in a video from November, according to Fox News.
One book in the library “This Book is Gay” discussed the casual hookup app Grindr, and included information about having “girl-on-girl” sex.
In Katy, Texas, parents have protested the inclusion of books with explicit sexual content. Parents from the Katy ISD school district opposed books like “Flamer,” a graphic novel containing explicit sex scenes.
In an interview with The Epoch Times in September, Katy resident Sarah Feigleson blamed the system for failing parents and kids by allowing such books at schools.
Authors write these books targeting 12- to 16-year-olds that are then willingly printed by publishers and then adopted readily by schools, she said. “Once you see it, you can’t unsee this stuff,” Feigleson said. “This is a multilevel fail.”
Darlene McCormick Sanchez contributed to this report.
Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter covering business and world events at The Epoch Times.
