WAXAHACHIE ISD committee closes 30-day posting of 134-book list after limited public feedback
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Summary
A WAXAHACHIE ISD committee finished a 30-day public posting of a proposed 134-title list and heard limited community feedback; one parent requested The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder be labeled 'young adult' because of underage sexual content and drinking. Librarians said placement is guided by character age and Omnisphere metadata.
An unidentified committee member for WAXAHACHIE ISD (S1) said the district posted a proposed list of books on its website for 30 days, with the posting scheduled to expire early next week, and promoted the review through ParentSquare. “We published the list on our website for 30 days,” S1 said, adding that the district received only a small amount of community feedback.
The committee packet included 134 titles, and staff provided supporting materials in a PPT and a supplemental list submitted the day before the meeting. “There’s 134 books, I believe,” S1 said, noting librarians had researched the list to provide context for committee review.
Among the comments relayed to the committee was a parent request concerning The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. According to S1, the parent asked that the title be designated with a young-adult label because the book contains references to underage sexual activity and drinking. “The request was just that the young adult label be placed on that book,” S1 said.
Librarians told the committee they use existing catalog metadata and district labeling systems when assigning titles to elementary, junior high and high school collections. Unidentified librarian S2 said the district’s sticker/label process is identified in the Omnisphere catalog system. “The sticker system is identified in the Omnisphere system,” S2 said.
Committee members did not take a formal vote on any title during this meeting. S1 said the committee will continue its review and planned to meet again shortly after Thanksgiving to finalize recommendations for the board.
What’s next: the committee will continue internal reviews, and any title-specific recommendations will be forwarded to district leadership before the next public board meeting.