Highland Park ISD Superintendent Dawson Orr suspended seven books from classroom use after some parents circulated email chains of excerpts and contacted district officials.
Highland Park ISD suspended seven books last week after parents objected to some of their content. Now, a group of parents is calling for the books’ return to the classroom.
One of the suspended books is The Glass Castle, a memoir written by Jeannette Walls. She is scheduled to be keynote speak at the district's annual literary festival.
Two Highland Park High School moms, Laurie Dodic Steinberg and Natalie Davis, are leading the effort. They organized a meeting with about forty parents and students Sunday night. The group will launch an email campaign to object to the books’ suspension and show support for high school English teachers.
The seven suspended books are The Art of Racing in the Rain; The Working Poor: Invisible in America; Siddhartha; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; An Abundance of Katherines; The Glass Castle: A Memoir; and Song of Solomon.
Superintendent Dawson Orr suspended the books from instructional use after some parents circulated emails about their sex scenes or references to mature themes such as rape, abuse and abortion.
The suspended books will not be taught in English classes, pending review by a committee of teachers, parents and students. The books are still available in the school’s library.
The suspension interrupted some 10th grade classes, who were already reading The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Steinberg said Highland Park ISD is violating its own policy, which pledges to allow access to books, even if they are being challenged and reviewed.
“They have pulled The Art of Racing in the Rain right out of the hands of the sophomore English students,” she said. “They can say it’s in the library all they want, but the fact is they’ve pulled these books in the middle of the six weeks and are now asking the teachers to scramble for a whole new lesson plan. It’s just incredibly sad.”
Steinberg, who has three children, said the tough topics in books prepare students for college and adulthood.
“These books could have the potential to make some people uncomfortable, but having our children grow up in the sheltered environment — “The Bubble” — our children need to be exposed to different ideas and ways of life for others. We’re doing a disservice to our students if we don’t broaden their minds and let them know more about the outside world.”
Highland Park ISD’s book debate coincides with Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and calls attention to book challenges at schools, bookstores and libraries.