Grapevine-Colleyville schools postponed book fairs. So parents organized their own.
Parents are pushing back on the Grapevine-Colleyville school district’s decision to put book fairs on hold.
A grassroots group, United for GCISD, is sponsoring the Scholastic book fair at the Grapevine Convention Center, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Kristine Leathers, who has several children in the Grapevine-Colleyville schools, said she immediately started planning a book fair when she learned the district chose to postpone them.
“My first thought was, let’s hold a book fair of our own,” she said. “I love books. I’m passionate about reading.”
Leathers added that fairs are sometimes the only opportunity kids have to get books in their hands.
She grew up reading, and said a book she read in college called “Tree of Cranes” by Allen Say helped her understand her Japanese heritage.
Now, she wants her children to have the same chance to explore reading without someone else making the choices.
“It’s important to put the conversation back between children and their parents,” she said.
“Your family has different values, and it’s important that you discuss them with your child and that you have the freedom to choose.”
Before school started in August, parents received an email that said the book fairs were “temporarily” on hold because the vendor, Scholastic, couldn’t guarantee a list of books 14 days in advance of the event. The email also said GCISD was looking for other opportunities to offer the “full book fair experience.”
Leathers said the vendor for Friday’s book fair, Scholastic, asked if she wanted a list of books in advance, but she said parents and their children must have the freedom to choose their own books.
Christy Spivey, who is also a parent in the Grapevine-Colleyville district, said she is volunteering because the district isn’t offering the book fairs for the students.
“I think it’s shameful the board majority will not allow Scholastic to have GCISD fairs anymore,” Spivey said. “I also think many of their other policies are anti-literacy. They have created an imaginary problem, and their ‘solutions’ hurt kids.”
United for GCISD was also formed to unseat the conservative majority on the school board with the next election in May 2023.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 6:12 PM.