BORGER, TEXAS -- What would you do if you were unhappy with a book your child was reading? One parent was and took their concerns to Borger Independent School District. That book is now banned from the district'sintermediate and middle school library.
The book that was called into question by a Borger ISD Intermediate parent is, "Tangled" written by Carolyn Mackler.
It's about four young adults who are staying at a resort in the Caribbean. Reading a paragraph from the book, you may find a reason to think it may be inappropriate for 5th through 8th graders.
"I looked up and my heart plummeted, I swear, into my colon. Because there, standing above me and ripping off his shirt was the guy. The guy from the diving board. The guy with the muscular calves and, oh god, the swimsuit riding low enough for me to conjure up some serious imagery. "Last year, the parent had concerns over the sexual content and profanity used in the book. So, that parent went to the district.
"As outlined in our board policy we created a committee to review the book. The committee determined that due to the sexual content and profanity that it was not appropriate for the age level served at our intermediate and middle school," said Chance Welch, Borger ISD Superintendent.
Welch says any time a parent has a concern, the school board addresses it.
"We certainly take parent concerns seriously. We try to look for various options even informally if there's a concern in the classroom like offering a different book," said Welch.
When a book is banned it is taken off the library shelves and/or removed from class reading lists, which was the case at Borger's Intermediate and Middle School Library.
Welch says this was the only book complaint they had last year, and the first time they've banned a book.
