The War on Books

Parent and Educator Perspectives

Authors

  • Abbey Bachmann University of Houston
  • Aimee Tellez

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2376-5275.2023.6.1.65-76

Keywords:

book challenges, New Kid, parent voices, Critical Race Theory, diverse texts

Abstract

With the nation’s attention toward the misguided attacks of nonexistent Critical Race Theory (CRT) in K-12 schools, books have become a target for removal. Recently, Katy ISD, an affluent suburban district in the Greater Houston area, canceled an upcoming author visit featuring Jerry Craft and his graphic novel New Kid after parents raised concerns regarding the book and what they deemed to be the promotion of CRT. This article explores the book banning controversy at Katy ISD as well as recommendations from the perspectives of a Katy ISD parent as well as a literacy scholar and veteran English teacher.

Author Biographies

Abbey Bachmann , University of Houston

Abbey Bachmann (she/her) is currently a Lecturer at the University of Houston. She has earned her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction - Literacy, Reading, and Language Arts from the University of Houston in Houston, TX. She has 11 years of experience teaching secondary English in the Houston, TX area, and her research interests include culturally responsive English education, diverse and multicultural children’s and YA literature, and equitable disciplinary literacy instructional practices.

Aimee Tellez

Aimee Tellez (she/her) is a former secondary Language Arts teacher for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. She earned her Masters of Education from the University of St. Thomas, with a focus on becoming a Reading Specialist. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to her four children.

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Published

2023-08-26