Katy ISD teacher 'decimated' class library, removing every YA book to avoid controversy, parent says

Britton Bogle's love for literature and reading runs deep. So deep that the eighth-grade student at Katy ISD's McMeans Junior High dedicates her mornings to helping her school librarians get ready for the day. So when Britton's English teacher removed many of the books from their classroom library, stocking it with nothing but lower elementary books, Britton was devastated. "The classroom library was decimated," said Britton's mother, Carrie Bogle. The teacher got rid of any book with a Young Adult (YA) label, regardless of content, Bogle said. This included Bruce Cameron's best-selling book "A Dog's Purpose" and S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders," a personal favorite of Britton's.

Britton reported to her mother that the school's principal, Steve Guzzetta, told teachers that all YA books in their classrooms needed special labeling so that teachers could alert parents if their child checked out a book with that classification. But the YA designation doesn't work like how the MPAA rates movies, said Shawna Hines, a spokesperson for the American Library Association. The YA label only denotes if a book was written with the intended audience of children ages 12 to 17. The label is determined by the book's publisher, Hines says, and doesn't account for whether or not the book has mature content. Katy ISD spokesperson Maria DiPetta said if teachers are removing books, it's not being ordered by the district. "There is no district directive to remove Young Adult books from classroom libraries," she said. "Parents and guardians are always encouraged to contact their campus principal or teacher with questions about their child's classroom and/or academic progress."