Parents criticize books as trustees approve 6,000-title acquisition list; board says formal challenge process is in place

Several district patrons urged the Lubbock ISD board on Monday evening to remove books they described as sexually explicit from school libraries, while trustees defended a formal reconsideration process and approved a large acquisition list the district says has been publicly posted for months.

At the start of the citizen‑comment period, Charles Burn said he objected to the district's 90‑day challenge process and warned that some families might homeschool if books are not removed. "If you don't remove these books and do what's right by the public, she won't be coming to your school district," Burn said, addressing trustees.

Monica Burn read passages she said were from a district title and urged removal so parents would not have to explain sexual content to young children. "I would like these books removed so I don't have to sit here and explain to my four‑year‑old, what are they doing?" she said. Noah Burn, who also spoke during public comment, called some titles "not acceptable" in elementary, middle and high schools.

Board President Curry and other trustees responded in the trustee‑comment portion that the district follows a statutory and board policy process for challenging materials. "The law states that just went into effect, if a book is challenged, it comes off the shelf," President Curry said, inviting patrons to submit the formal reconsideration paperwork posted on the district website.

Anna Manharez read aloud pages from a book she identified as This Book Is Gay and called the material "perverted." District staff later told trustees that This Book Is Gay is not on the district's acquisition list, not on the reconsideration list and not in current library inventories.

Dr. Rolo, the superintendent, and Kim Callison, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, described the Slack committee (the school library advisory committee) as a volunteer parent‑led review body that has examined challenged titles and the posted acquisition list. Callison said the acquisition list includes about 6,000 unique titles, roughly 4,000 for elementary libraries, and that the list was posted on the district website in early February; the board approved the acquisition list by motion.

Trustees also said the district emails parents when children check out books, that parents may opt their children out of specific materials, and that there were six formally flagged titles across the district at the time of the meeting. The Slack committee had 17 books still under reconsideration after recent reviews; staff said 18 titles had previously completed reviews under the prior process.

The board moved forward with approval of the acquisition list and reiterated trustees' invitation to patrons to use the district's formal reconsideration process for any book they find objectionable. The district said challenged books are removed from circulation while committees review them and that decisions may shift grade‑level placement rather than removing a title entirely.

Trustees declined to remove titles on the basis of public comment alone and said the formal review process exists to adjudicate those concerns. The board pressed staff to verify whether the three specific titles read aloud during public comment were actually in district collections and asked for that verification at the next meeting.

The meeting record shows continued public interest in library materials and a pledge from trustees to follow board policy and state law in processing challenges. The board approved the acquisition list and will continue reconsideration work on the smaller set of disputed books.