Kara Bell, a mother and former school board candidate, expressed outrage at a recent Lake Travis Independent School District board meeting. She read a controversial passage from the young adult novel Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez, which included explicit sexual content. Bell exclaimed, “I do not want my children to learn about anal sex in middle school!” and criticized the inclusion of such material in school libraries.
Her microphone was cut off, but she continued to speak on video, urging, “You are not public health officials; you are supposed to be educating our children! Do not teach them about anal sex!”
In response, the district removed the book from middle school libraries and announced a review of its content. A district spokesperson emphasized, “A district possesses significant discretion to determine the content of its school libraries,” but also noted that materials could be removed for being “pervasively vulgar” or unsuitable for education. The review’s duration remains uncertain.
