Highland Park ISD officials announced the names of parents, staff and students who will review a challenged book in a district-wide email Monday.
The challenged book, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, is one of seven books that Superintendent Dawson Orr temporarily suspended in September after parents raised concerns about sex scenes and mature themes. He reinstated the books after backlash from other parents and alumni.
The Art of Racing in the Rain is the only book that was formally challenged. It is being taught in English II classes at Highland Park High School this school year.
District policy calls for the appointment of a reconsideration committee. The committee reads and discusses the challenged book and submits a written recommendation to the high school principal. The principal will decide whether to remove the book from the approved book list. His decision can be appealed to the superintendent and trustees.
The reconsideration committee is made up of 12 people that volunteered or were nominated, according to an email from Orr and high school principal Walter Kelly:
Lauren Bailey, HPHS teacher
Jill Bellomy, HPMS librarian
Martha Coleman, parent
Charlene Gowdey, parent
Lisa Ham, HPISD instructional technology director and library services coordinator
Sheila Holmes, parent
Tavia Hunt, parent
Amy Liu, HPHS student
Micah Lyles, HPHS lead counselor
Holly Philbin, parent
Chris Walters, HPHS student
Tara Wilcox, HPHS teacher
Committee meetings will be private, but its written report will be public.
Orr said last week that the committee does not have a deadline, but he said “We want to move expeditiously.”