What were gcisd's policy changes?

GCISD's policies lean heavily into this Bill. HB 3979 prohibits the teachings of Critical Race Theory and other racist ideologies to minors in public institutions. It protects students from feeling victimization or shame based on their skin color. The bill was passed by the House on June 15, 2021 , with a vote of 36-0.

House Bill 3979 was replaced with a streamlined version of itself in the second special session of 2021 and became Texas Senate Bill 3.

The policies site multiple sections within Chapter 26 of the Texas Education Code, which refers to parental rights and responsibilities. It also sites these sections: 28.0022(a)(3), 28.0022(a)(4), 29.906, 31.002, and 33.0834(c). These sections cover essential knowledge and skills in the curriculum, special education programs, positive character traits, the definition of instructional materials, and interscholastic athletic competition based on biological sex.

The Texas State Board of Education is the governing body of the Texas Education Agency. They are responsible for setting curriculum standards, reviewing and adopting instructional materials, among other tasks. GCISD's representative is Patricia Hardy.

The district's policies use the definition of "Prohibited Materials" based on the Texas Penal Code's definition of harmful materials. It is a criminal offense to distribute materials that violate this definition. The specific sections of the Code are 43.21, 43.24(a)(2), and 43.24(b). In 43.21, "obscene materials" includes those that, when applying contemporary community standards, would find that taken as a whole appeal to the prurient interest in sex.

GCISD's policies pull directly from the TEA policy offered to school districts on April 11, 2022, regarding the selection and approval of library materials. The TEA policy gives full legal responsibility for the purchase of all library materials to the Board of Trustees, allowing for each community to reflect its own community standards within those materials. It further requires a district-level library supervisor or designated administrator to work cooperatively with library staff, faculty, and the administration to interpret and guide the application of the policy prior to submitting materials to the Board of Trustee for their approval. The policy further cites direct guidance from the Texas Penal Code as relates to obscene sexual content. 

GCISD used 47 U.S.C. 254(h)(5) to further guide its policies. This Code states that collection development policies must demonstrate a commitment to and compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), including technology protection measures. Therefore, online materials that students can access digitally are included in the policy.

GCISD's new policy for library materials outlines the objectives for library materials, including digital resources, and as well as other mediums. Enacted by Congress in 2000, CIPA addresses concerns about children's access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. It also imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries for their internet safety policies.

GCISD's policies align with case law. In Board of Education v. Pico, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed the removal of books from libraries in public schools. This case articulates that no challenged instructional book can be removed solely because of the ideas in it. However, it allows for the removal of materials because they are pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable for a library. Texas Penal Code still applies related to that unsuitability.

 All GCISD policies align with the voluntary standards for school libraries developed by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in consultation with the State Board of Education.  In TSLAC's guidance document for school libraries and collection development, they directly state that "Parents hold an essential role and have the right to guide what their student needs."

The GCISD policies establish that the District must apply the standards, dimensions, and expectations as defined by rule 13 of the Administrative Code 4.1 for all school library programs. 

In an effort to incorporate community standards into the policy, all polices are in alignment with the GCISD Student Code of Conduct.