Do Fort Worth ISD book fairs offer Scholastic diversity collection? Officials won’t say
Fort Worth ISD officials are staying quiet about the titles available to students at book fairs this month as Scholastic has faced nationwide controversy over giving schools the choice to opt-out of a diversity collection, which includes topics of race, gender and sexuality.
Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, which is known for hosting annual fall book fairs in schools nationwide, created a new collection of books this year for elementary schools entitled, “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice.” Some titles include biographies of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, civil rights activist Ruby Bridges and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in addition to a book written by Jojo Siwa, a dancer and internet personality who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021.
Fort Worth ISD officials have not said whether its schools opted in or out of the collection after being asked by the Star-Telegram about the matter on Friday and Monday. There are at least 25 Fort Worth ISD campuses — mostly elementary schools — that hosted or will host a Scholastic book fair this month, according to the company’s website.
When asked if any titles that mention race, gender or sexual content would be separated from other titles at book fairs, or require parental permission before being purchased, a district spokesperson said, “It’s important to note that Scholastic ensures that all the books featured in these fairs are carefully selected to be developmentally appropriate.”
Follow-up questions about the “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” collection were unanswered as of 4 p.m. on Monday.
Scholastic released a statement on Oct. 13 citing local and state laws that restrict certain book content as the reason for making the diversity collection optional, although the statement also noted “there is a wide range of diverse titles throughout every book fair, for every age level. And, we continue to offer diverse books throughout our middle school fairs, which remain unchanged.”
“There is now enacted or pending legislation in more than 30 U.S. states prohibiting certain kinds of books from being in schools — mostly LGBTQIA+ titles and books that engage with the presence of racism in our country,” according to Scholastic’s statement. “Because Scholastic book fairs are invited into schools, where books can be purchased by kids on their own, these laws create an almost impossible dilemma: back away from these titles or risk making teachers, librarians, and volunteers vulnerable to being fired, sued, or prosecuted.”
Scholastic did not respond to additional requests for comment from the Star-Telegram.
The controversy comes amid a time when book bans are becoming prevalent across multiple states, including Texas.
This summer, Fort Worth ISD officials removed three graphic novels from shelves: “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, “Flamer” by Mike Curato and “Wait What? A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up” by Heather Corinna. A review of the books by district officials determined that the titles were inappropriate for elementary and middle school libraries.
Additionally, the district removed more than 100 books at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year after closing libraries for two weeks to review titles for sexual or violent content. The move came as a new state law went into effect Sept. 1 that requires “sexually explicit” books to be removed from school libraries while “sexually relevant” books require parental permission before being checked out by a student.
The law is being challenged in court by book vendors. Waco-based U.S. District Judge Alan Albright granted a preliminary injunction last month preventing the law from being enforced by state agencies, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. Albright stated in his order that the law was unconstitutional, vague and unduly burdensome on booksellers.
