Did Fort Worth ISD remove more than 100 books from schools in 2023?
Fort Worth ISD pulled 120 titles from school libraries in August 2023 to review whether they are developmentally appropriate for students.
The district pulled the books before a state law requiring the removal of sexually explicit books from libraries went into effect in September 2023. Portions of the law, House Bill 900, have been on hold as federal courts consider a lawsuit.
The constitutionality of book bans is determined on a case-by-case basis.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that schools cannot remove books because they disagree with the content. However, they can be removed based on appropriateness and curriculum.
The 1982 decision emphasized states have broad authority on education, a topic addressed in all 50 state constitutions but not the U.S. Constitution. State legislators and school boards have final say over what schools teach.
Justice Byron White called book removal “a largely uncharted field.”