Monday, October 6, 2014

Banned Books FOI Project

I am requesting documents from Fort Worth Independent School District to obtain information regarding banned books over the past few years in the school district. I would like information regarding titles most frequently complained about. I would like to see the process the district utilizes to decide which books to suspend or ban, and which books have been suspended and banned in the past few years. I contacted the school district via phone and was redirected to the legal department, where they told me I must fax my formal request. It was interesting that they requested a fax rather than an email.
 
The reason why I chose to do this topic is because I am an English minor and am always interested in what about the literature sparks such debate in parents and school districts. The Highland Park incident a week or so ago also piqued my interest since the books on their ban list included An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, which is contemporary teen fiction. Green writes specifically for that high school audience. It was even more interesting, however, that the decision was later repealed.
 
This is why I would like to pursue the topic further, except in a different school district, to see how the process is handled.

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