TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Public Schools removed two books under scrutiny after state leaders called out the district for having them available to students.
The school district was once again under controversy this week after a social media post went viral claiming there are two books that are too inappropriate for students on its library shelves.
The social media post claims the two graphic novels contain explicit content. The books are titled "Gender Queer" and "Flamer."
Joy Hofmeister, current State Superintendent of Public Instruction, gave her disapproval over the books being accessible to students. A portion of her full statement reads:
This is inappropriate, sexually explicit material. It's pornography that does not belong in any public school library. We've reached out to Tulsa Public Schools and are calling for the books to be removed immediately.
State Secretary of Education Ryan Walters took to Twitter stating, "Pornography in the classroom is never acceptable." He also claims Hofmeister has been "silent on transparency" and that her leadership has failed the state.
TPS Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist says they have nearly a million books on its district's shelves that are chosen by school teams. She says they will always review books that cause concern within the community.
Since then, TPS says they have removed the books from circulation.
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