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Abilene ISD board approves school library advisory council after days of public complaints over 'explicit' books
Summary
After an hour of public comments citing graphic passages from several titles, the Abilene ISD board voted unanimously to approve membership of a School Library Advisory Council (SLAC) and outlined a formal book-challenge process under new state law (SB13). District staff said challenged books are removed from circulation while SLAC reviews them.
The Abilene Independent School District board on Wednesday approved the membership of a School Library Advisory Council after a lengthy public-comment period dominated by parents and residents who read or described graphic passages they say appear in high school library books.
Dozens of community members, including Tammy Fogel and Denise Reader Baloo, urged trustees to remove titles they described as sexually explicit or depicting drug use. "These books are disgusting," one speaker said as she read aloud passages she attributed to books on local shelves. Several speakers said some titles mentioned are restricted…
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