The Keller Independent School District Board Trustees are set to vote on two matters Monday night that is bound to split opinion within the community – a measure that would authorize teachers and employees to carry guns in the classroom, and another that would ban library books that mention “gender fluidity.”
With respect to firearms, the measure before the board would empower the Superintendent to approve teachers or district employees to carry a handgun on campus and at school-sponsored events.
The consideration is specifically meant to “address concerns about the effective and timely response to emergency situations on district property, including invasion of a school by an armed outsider,” according to the agenda.
Properly approved personnel may be asked to complete additional training in “specialized crisis intervention, management of hostage situations, and other topics the board may determine necessary or appropriate.”
Another matter of concern before the board involves the district adding “discussion or depiction of gender fluidity” to a list of topics that would result in removal from school libraries.
Earlier this year, Keller ISD made news when it pulled more than three dozen books from library shelves, including the Bible and a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl.”
Another book that was pulled earlier this year was “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” which depicts its author’s story of finding their gender identity and exploring their sexual orientation.
