Live</tle><rect width="39" height="22" rx="3" fill="#CB1111"></rect><path d="M5.756 5.66H8.186V15.002H12.506V17H5.756V5.66ZM13.5783 5.66H16.0083V17H13.5783V5.66ZM22.5198 17H20.0718L16.7958 5.66H19.2798L21.3498 13.31H21.4218L23.5098 5.66H25.7958L22.5198 17ZM33.3901 15.002V17H26.5861V5.66H33.3541V7.658H28.9621V10.25H32.3101V12.212H28.9621V15.002H33.3901Z" fill="whe"></path></svg></span>on<span class="styl_img__bxg3Y styl_news-now-img__961yW"><svg width="144" height="16" viewBox="0 0 144 16" fill="none" xmlns="><tle>NBC News Now</tle><g clip-path="url(#clip0_3686_260016)"><path d="M143.711 12.9351H106.432V15.7204H143.711V12.9351Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M138.308 11.0828H141.078L143.924 0.253418H141.218L139.725 6.7182H139.678L138.044 0.253418H135.417L133.77 6.7182H133.708L132.215 0.253418H129.276L132.114 11.0828H135.005L136.655 4.66263H136.747L138.308 11.0828Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M120.534 5.67944C120.534 3.79098 121.713 2.45958 123.394 2.45958C125.074 2.45958 126.254 3.76034 126.254 5.67944C126.254 7.59855 125.072 8.89651 123.394 8.89651C121.716 8.89651 120.534 7.59576 120.534 5.67944ZM123.394 11.3253C126.814 11.3253 129.206 8.89652 129.206 5.67944C129.206 2.46237 126.828 0.0307617 123.394 0.0307617C119.959 0.0307617 117.578 2.45958 117.578 5.67944C117.578 8.8993 119.956 11.3253 123.394 11.3253V11.3253Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M113.118 11.0827H116.427V0.250488H113.625V6.71528H113.564L109.74 0.250488H106.429V11.0827H109.23V4.61234H109.294L113.118 11.0827Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M93.1764 3.4594C93.1764 1.43446 94.8964 0 97.608 0C99.9219 0 101.706 1.11414 102.169 2.87169L99.6474 3.4594C99.3672 2.60987 98.6557 2.15308 97.6613 2.15308C96.7368 2.15308 96.0757 2.54581 96.0757 3.26721C96.0757 5.42029 102.423 3.07224 102.423 7.70427C102.423 9.85734 100.572 11.2946 97.9414 11.2946C94.9664 11.2946 93.1147 9.98825 92.5181 7.70427L95.0981 7.31432C95.2562 7.86892 95.5951 8.35559 96.0616 8.69791C96.5281 9.04022 97.0957 9.21879 97.6753 9.20557C98.7958 9.20557 99.5269 8.68471 99.5269 7.96609C99.5353 5.7406 93.1764 8.09143 93.1764 3.4594Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M85.7161 4.61826H85.6489L84.0157 11.083H81.1051L78.2422 0.248047H81.22L82.7411 6.70726H82.8055L84.4583 0.248047H87.1055L88.7583 6.70726H88.8227L90.3439 0.248047H93.0555L90.2122 11.083H87.4361L85.7161 4.61826Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M77.4499 0.248047V2.53203H71.7633V4.42328H76.2453V6.70726H71.7633V8.79627H77.5815V11.083H68.9199V0.248047H77.4499Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M60.5243 4.61826L60.4571 11.083H57.6138V0.248047H60.9193L64.7543 6.70726H64.8215V0.248047H67.6649V11.083H64.3593L60.5243 4.61826Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M42.5679 5.67658C42.5679 2.35087 44.8818 0.0668945 48.2545 0.0668945C50.899 0.0668945 52.8823 1.43728 53.6779 3.78532L50.9662 4.30619C50.7735 3.76474 50.4145 3.29724 49.94 2.96983C49.4654 2.64242 48.8993 2.47169 48.3218 2.48178C46.6018 2.48178 45.5429 3.72126 45.5429 5.67658C45.5429 7.63189 46.6634 8.87416 48.3218 8.87416C48.8996 8.88405 49.466 8.71291 49.9406 8.38498C50.4152 8.05704 50.774 7.58894 50.9662 7.04697L53.6106 7.57062C52.7506 9.98273 50.899 11.289 48.2545 11.289C44.8818 11.289 42.5679 8.941 42.5679 5.67658Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M32.4521 0.248047H37.741C40.1221 0.248047 41.6433 1.16164 41.6433 3.24786C41.6452 3.75624 41.4774 4.25089 41.1661 4.65418C40.8548 5.05747 40.4177 5.34658 39.9232 5.47614V5.5402C40.9821 5.73796 41.9066 6.52064 41.9066 8.01916C41.9066 10.1722 40.3855 11.083 38.0072 11.083H32.4521V0.248047ZM35.3627 4.49012H37.2788C38.3993 4.49012 38.7999 4.2283 38.7999 3.50968C38.7999 2.79107 38.3377 2.53203 37.2788 2.53203H35.3627V4.49012ZM35.3627 6.51229V8.79627H37.346C38.5366 8.79627 39.0632 8.4676 39.0632 7.68214C39.0632 6.89667 38.5366 6.568 37.346 6.568H35.3627V6.51229Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M24.054 4.61826L23.984 11.083H21.1406V0.248047H24.449L28.284 6.70726H28.3484V0.248047H31.1917V11.083H27.8862L24.054 4.61826Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M16.9526 7.11688C16.5767 7.10716 16.2056 7.20323 15.8822 7.39403L10.6504 11.0274H16.9526C17.473 11.0274 17.9721 10.8219 18.3401 10.456C18.7081 10.09 18.9149 9.59378 18.9149 9.07631C18.9149 8.55884 18.7081 8.06257 18.3401 7.69667C17.9721 7.33076 17.473 7.12519 16.9526 7.12519V7.11688Z" fill="#0DB14B"></path><path d="M10.8291 10.1962L16.5432 6.29952C16.7602 6.16158 16.9478 5.98248 17.0953 5.77245C17.2427 5.56242 17.3471 5.32557 17.4025 5.07542C17.4579 4.82527 17.4632 4.56673 17.4181 4.31455C17.373 4.06237 17.2784 3.82147 17.1397 3.60565C17.0009 3.38983 16.8208 3.20329 16.6096 3.05669C16.3983 2.91008 16.1601 2.80626 15.9086 2.75119C15.657 2.69611 15.3969 2.69085 15.1433 2.73569C14.8897 2.78054 14.6474 2.87463 14.4304 3.01257C14.109 3.20856 13.8499 3.49107 13.6833 3.82738L10.8291 10.1962Z" fill="#0089CF"></path><path d="M12.5989 0.249348C12.8333 0.357094 13.0439 0.510047 13.2185 0.699339C13.393 0.88863 13.528 1.1105 13.6156 1.35206C13.7033 1.59363 13.7418 1.85008 13.729 2.10657C13.7162 2.36306 13.6523 2.61446 13.541 2.84621L10.8206 8.79378L9.93701 3.17879C9.90412 3.02045 9.93406 2.85561 10.0206 2.71873C10.238 2.3917 10.7843 2.13396 10.7815 2.09793C10.7788 2.0619 10.7286 1.98984 10.5028 1.98984H9.78369C9.79649 1.71105 9.86569 1.43769 9.98716 1.1861C10.0955 0.952999 10.2494 0.743609 10.4397 0.570069C10.6301 0.396529 10.8533 0.262295 11.0962 0.175156C11.3392 0.0880165 11.5971 0.04971 11.855 0.0624465C12.113 0.0751829 12.3658 0.138705 12.5989 0.249348V0.249348Z" fill="#645FAA"></path><path d="M6.41914 0.249348C6.1847 0.357094 5.97407 0.510047 5.79954 0.699339C5.625 0.88863 5.49 1.1105 5.40236 1.35206C5.31472 1.59363 5.27621 1.85008 5.28902 2.10657C5.30183 2.36306 5.36574 2.61446 5.47701 2.84621L8.19747 8.79378L9.22319 2.27251C9.26287 1.89961 9.19624 1.52313 9.03088 1.1861C8.92252 0.952999 8.76869 0.743609 8.57831 0.570069C8.38793 0.396529 8.16478 0.262295 7.92183 0.175156C7.67888 0.0880165 7.42095 0.04971 7.163 0.0624465C6.90504 0.0751829 6.65221 0.138705 6.41914 0.249348V0.249348Z" fill="#C9234A"></path><path d="M2.46669 6.2992L8.18075 10.1959L5.31535 3.82151C5.14952 3.48468 4.89036 3.20198 4.56836 3.0067C4.12998 2.72812 3.59826 2.63411 3.09017 2.74534C2.58207 2.85656 2.13921 3.16392 1.85903 3.5998C1.57886 4.03567 1.48432 4.56437 1.59619 5.06957C1.70805 5.57476 2.01715 6.01507 2.45553 6.29365L2.46669 6.2992Z" fill="#F37021"></path><path d="M2.06533 7.11707C1.5449 7.11707 1.04575 7.32263 0.677748 7.68853C0.309746 8.05443 0.103027 8.55071 0.103027 9.06817C0.103027 9.58564 0.309746 10.0819 0.677748 10.4478C1.04575 10.8137 1.5449 11.0193 2.06533 11.0193H8.36752L3.13566 7.40252C2.81314 7.20881 2.44206 7.10985 2.06533 7.11707Z" fill="#FDB913"></path></g><fs><clipPath id="clip0_3686_260016"><rect width="144" height="16" fill="whe"></rect></clipPath></fs></svg></span><span class="styl_img__bxg3Y styl_chevron-img__sl67n"><svg viewBox="0 0 10 7" fill="none" xmlns="><path d="M1 1.07454L4.96238 5L9 1" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-lep="round"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></div></div></sectn><div class="article-body breakg" data-activy-map="article-article-body" data-taboola-target="read-more"><div class="article-body__grid--ntaer"><div class="ad dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="terstial" data-siz="[[[0,0],[[4,4]]]]" data-reh-terval="0" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te"></div></div><div class="article-body__sectn"><div class="article-body layout-grid-em layout-grid-em--wh-gutter-s-only grid-l-10-m grid-l-ph-1-m grid-l-6-xl grid-l-ph-2-xl article-body--ctom-lumn"></div></div><div class="article-body__sectn layout-grid-ntaer article-body__first-sectn"><div class="article-body layout-grid-em layout-grid-em--wh-gutter-s-only grid-l-10-m grid-l-ph-1-m grid-l-6-xl grid-l-ph-2-xl article-body--ctom-lumn"><sectn class="mb6"><div class="article-social-share-top"><ul class="styl_ntaer__ZKkl3" data-activy-map="social-share-lks-article-top" data-ttid="social-share-menu"><li data-ttid="social-share-facebook" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_facebook__bOW_X"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-facebook"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-twter" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_twter__ww7sF"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-ptert" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_ptert__CaMm1"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-ptert"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-email" class="styl_em__b5A78"><a href="mailto:?subject=A Texas supertennt orred school librarians to remove LGBTQ books. Now the feral ernment is vtigatg.& target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-share-email"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-py" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_py__RACZ3"><button type="button" class="styl_button__b3sx_"><span class="in in-lk"></span></button><div class="styl_pyTooltip__Ut_t1"><span class="in in-alt-check"></span></div></li><li data-ttid="social-share-sms" class="styl_em__b5A78 styl_sms__Vohh6"><a href="sms:?&body=A Texas supertennt orred school librarians to remove LGBTQ books. Now the feral ernment is vtigatg. via nbews - target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="styl_lk__RsJVU"><span class="in in-sms"></span></a></li><li data-ttid="social-share-prt" class="styl_prt__cw6Gn"><button type="button" class="styl_button__b3sx_"><span class="in in-share-prt styl_in__P3XZT"></span><span class="styl_text___8iNX">Prt</span></button></li><li data-ttid="social-share-save" class="styl_save__ILVuj"></li></ul></div><div class="article-body__date-source"><time class="relative z-1" dateTime="2022-12-20T16:00:42.000Z" ntent="2022-12-20T16:00:42.000Z">Dec. 20, 2022, 4:00 PM UTC</time></div><div class="article-le-byle" data-activy-map="le-byle-article-top">By <span class="byle-name"><a href=">Mike Hixenbgh</a></span> and <span class="byle-name">Jeremy Schwartz, ProPubli/The Texas Tribune</span></div></sectn><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class=""><em>This article was published partnership wh ProPubli, a nonprof newsroom that vtigat ab of power, and The Texas Tribune, a nonprof, nonpartisan lol newsroom that rms and engag wh Texans. Sign up to receive </em><a href=" target="_blank"><em>ProPubli’s biggt stori</em></a><em> as soon as they’re published, and sign up for </em><a href=" target="_blank"><em>The Brief Weekly</em></a><em> to get up to speed on sential verage of Texas issu.</em></p><p class="">The U.S. Edutn Department’s civil rights enforcement arm has lnched an vtigatn to a North Texas school district whose supertennt was secretly rerd orrg librarians to remove LGBTQ-themed library books.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><div id="taboolaReadMoreBelow"></div><p class="">Edutn and legal experts say the feral probe of the Granbury Inpennt School District — which stemmed om a plat by the Amerin Civil Liberti Unn of Texas and reportg by <a href=">NBC News</a>, <a href=">ProPubli</a> and <a href=">The Texas Tribune</a> — appears to be the first such vtigatn explicly tied to the natnwi movement to ban school library books alg wh sexualy and genr.</p><p class="">The Edutn Department’s Office for Civil Rights notified Granbury school officials on Dec. 6 that had opened the vtigatn followg <a href=">a July plat</a> by the ACLU, which acced the district of vlatg <a href=">a feral law</a> that prohibs discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr. The ACLU plat was based largely on an vtigatn <a href=">published March by NBC News, ProPubli and the Tribune</a> that revealed that Granbury’s supertennt, Jeremy Glenn, stcted librarians to remove books alg wh sexual orientatn and people who are transgenr.</p><sectn class="embed-widget embedWidget embed-widget--medium"><div class="embed-widget__e-prentatn embed-widget__iamely-nbc news" style="--iame-height:0px"><div><div class="iamely-nbews iamely-player iamely-embed"><div class="iamely-rponsive"><iame data-src=" loadg="lazy" src="//" allowfullscreen scrollg="no" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iame></div></div></div></div></sectn><p class="">“I acknowledge that there are men that thk they’re women and there are women that thk they’re men,” Glenn told librarians January, acrdg to a leaked rerdg of the meetg obtaed, verified and published exclively by the news outlets. “I don’t have any issu wh what people want to believe, but there’s no place for our librari.”</p><p class="">Later the meetg, Glenn clarified that he was specifilly foced on removg books geared toward queer stunts: “It’s the transgenr, LGBTQ and the sex — sexualy — books,” he said, acrdg to the rerdg.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">The ments, bed wh the district’s subsequent cisn to remove dozens of library books pendg a review, fostered a “pervasively hostile” environment for LGBTQ stunts, the ACLU wrote s plat. Chloe Kempf, an ACLU attorney, said the Edutn Department’s cisn to open the vtigatn to Granbury ISD signals that the agency is ncerned about what she scribed as “a wave” of anti-LGBTQ polici and book removals natnally.</p><p class="">“In this se was ma very clear, bee the supertennt kd of said the quiet part out loud,” Kempf said an terview. “It’s pretty clear that that kd of motivatn is animatg a lot of the polici natnwi.”</p><p class="">An Edutn Department spokperson nfirmed the vtigatn and said was related to Tle IX of the Edutn Amendments of 1972, which prohibs schools om discrimatg on the basis of sex, genr and sexual orientatn. The Office for Civil Rights don’t ment on pendg vtigatns, the spokperson said.</p><p class="">If the vtigatn nfirms vlatns of stunts’ rights Granbury schools, the agency n require the district to make policy chang and subm to feral monorg.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">Neher Glenn nor the district rpond to msag Monday. In <a href=">an earlier statement</a> followg the news outlets’ reportg March, the district said was mted to supportg stunts of all backgrounds. And the district said that s primary foc is tg stunts but that “the valu of our muny will always be reflected our schools.”</p><p class="">Granbury, a town 40 wt of Fort Worth, has been embroiled a heated bate over what typ of books children should be allowed to read at school.</p><p class="">Last year, voters Granbury <a href=">elected a pair of school board members</a> who mpaigned agast LGBTQ-affirmg school curricula and library books. Afterward, Glenn began askg district admistrators about several books that an unnamed school board member had found the district’s onle talog, acrdg to text msag reviewed by NBC News, ProPubli and The Tribune. The msag om the board member to Glenn clud screenshots of eight tl, all of which alt wh LGBTQ topics, wh the words “gay,” “trans” and “genr” highlighted some of the book scriptns.</p><p class="">In January, when Glenn met wh librarians, he told them that the new school board was “very, very nservative” and that any employee who holds different polil views had “better hi ,” acrdg to the rerdg of his ments. In the days that followed, the district embarked on one of the largt mass book removals the state, pullg 130 tl, most of which featured LGBTQ characters or them.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">After a volunteer review mtee <a href=">voted to return</a> all but a few of the tl, two disgntled members of the mtee <a href=">filed a police report</a> May accg district employe of providg “pornography” to children, triggerg a monthslong crimal vtigatn by Hood County Constable Chad Jordan, which remaed open as of Augt. Jordan didn’t rpond to msag requtg an update on the vtigatn.</p><p class="">All of that — cludg the fact that Glenn has never apologized or walked back his ments — has created an unwelg environment for LGBTQ stunts the Granbury district, the ACLU argued s plat.</p><p class="">“The ments, bed wh the book removals, really send a msage to LGBTQ stunts the districts that: ‘You don’t belong here. Your existence is shameful. It should be censored,’” Kempf said.</p></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxrail" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[300,250],[360,360]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="10" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body__sectn layout-grid-ntaer"><div class="article-body layout-grid-em layout-grid-em--wh-gutter-s-only grid-l-10-m grid-l-ph-1-m grid-l-6-xl grid-l-ph-2-xl article-body--ctom-lumn"><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><figure class="styl_leImage__yAWZ0 styl_large__RulfI"><picture class="styl_image__1qciH"><source media="(m-width: 1240px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source media="(m-width: 758px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="Image: Granbury ISD Supertennt Dr. Jeremy Glenn at a school board meetg Texas on March 21, 2022." height="1667" width="2500"/></picture><figptn class="ptn styl_ptn__Pe5JC"><span class="ptn__ntaer">“It’s the transgenr, LGBTQ and the sex — sexualy — books," Granbury ISD Supertennt Jeremy Glenn told district librarians January. "That’s what we’re pullg out.”</span><span class="ptn__source">Shelby Tber for ProPubli, The Texas Tribune, NBC News</span></figptn></figure></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"></div></div><div class="article-body__sectn layout-grid-ntaer article-body__last-sectn"><div class="article-body layout-grid-em layout-grid-em--wh-gutter-s-only grid-l-10-m grid-l-ph-1-m grid-l-6-xl grid-l-ph-2-xl article-body--ctom-lumn"><div class="article-body__ntent article-body-font--loadg"><p class="">In recent months, Granbury parents and voters have <a href=">ntued to prsure the district</a> to remove books wh LGBTQ them or scriptns of sex. Last month, Karen Lowery, one of the women who sought crimal charg agast Granbury librarians, won a seat on the school board; she has vowed to purge books that she has emed appropriate for children. Of the nearly 80 tl nservative activists want banned, 3 out of 5 feature LGBTQ characters or them, acrdg to an analysis of books posted on <a href="></a>, a webse where they have piled parent reviews.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend"></div><p class="">Lowery didn’t rpond to msag requtg ment.</p><div class="remend-tersectn-ref" data-activy-map="remend-article-body-remend"></div><p class="">At her first meetg as a school board tstee on Dec. 12 — one week after the Office for Civil Rights notified the district had opened an vtigatn — Lowery lled for all “obscene” books to be pulled om shelv. In rponse, Glenn asked her to provi a list of tl so the board uld discs at a future meetg.</p><p class="">“I thk as a district, we do want to rolve this,” Glenn said of the library book ntroversy. “Speakg on behalf of every admistrator the room, and probably muny members bee I know there are a few of you that are ready to have this behd you, too.”</p><p class="">Edutn and legal experts said the Edutn Department’s cisn to open an vtigatn Granbury is signifint bee sets up a tt of a somewhat novel legal argument by the ACLU: the ia that book removals themselv n create a hostile environment for certa class of stunts.</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">“It’s certaly the first vtigatn I’ve seen by the agency ttg that argument this way,” said W. Stt Lewis, a managg partner at TNG, a nsultg firm that advis school districts on plyg wh feral civil rights laws.</p><p class="">The ACLU of Texas ma siar legal arguments <a href=">another civil rights plat</a> filed last month agast the Keller Inpennt School District North Texas rponse to a policy banng any books that mentn “genr fluidy.” The Edutn Department has yet to ci whether to open an vtigatn Keller, Kempf said.</p><p class="">Jonathan Friedman, the director of ee exprsn and tn at the nonprof PEN Ameri, which has <a href=">tracked thoands of school book bans</a> sce last year, said the same legal argument uld be ma districts across the untry where parents, school board members and admistrators have exprsed anti-LGBTQ motivatns.</p><p class="">“It’s not unmon to see people explicly sayg that they want to remove LGBTQ books bee they believe they are doctratg stunts,” said Friedman, who ced a se Florida which a teacher lled for the removal of a children’s picture book about two male pengus bee, she said, promoted the “<a href=">LGBTQ agenda</a>.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">Granbury isn’t the only North Texas school district facg feral scty.</p><p class="">The Office for Civil Rights over the past year has opened <a href=">five vtigatns</a> to allegatns of discrimatn at the Carroll Inpennt School District Southlake, a wealthy Fort Worth suburb that has been <a href=">at the center</a> of the natnal polil fight over the ways schools addrs racism, genr and sexualy. If the Edutn Department fds Carroll stunts’ rights have been vlated, experts said, the feral agency <a href=">uld require</a> the district to implement the same typ of diversy and cln trag programs that nservative activists have fought to block Southlake.</p><p class="">Carroll Supertennt Lane Ledbetter has said the district has taken steps, cludg retrag staff members how to handle bullyg plats, to ensure stunts om all backgrounds feel safe at school. </p><p class="">“If OCR term that there are steps that we n take beyond what we have implemented, then we will absolutely ply,” Ledbetter said a vio addrs to the muny after news of the feral civil rights vtigatn broke last year. “My prri are kids, and we’re gog to keep them safe.”</p><div class="ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer boxleAd dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxle" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[]],[[758,1],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[728,90],[360,360]]],[[0,0],[[300,250],[700,50],[5,5],[360,360]]]]" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te" data-offset-viewport="100"></div></div><p class="">As Southlake, some stunts and parents Granbury say they’re untg on feral vtigators to force chang.</p><figure class="styl_leImage__yAWZ0 styl_medium__OMa6x"><picture class="styl_image__1qciH"><source media="(m-width: 1000px)" srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="Image: Lou Whg, a junr at Granbury High School, be emotnal after speakg about the removal of books om GISD schools at a school board meetg on March 21, 2022." height="1644" width="2500"/></picture><figptn class="ptn styl_ptn__Pe5JC"><span class="ptn__ntaer">Lou Whg, a stunt at Granbury High School, be emotnal after speakg agast the removal of LGBTQ books at a Granbury school board meetg March.</span><span class="ptn__source">Shelby Tber for ProPubli, The Texas Tribune, NBC News</span></figptn></figure><p class="">Lou Whg, 17, a nonbary senr at Granbury High School, said Glenn’s rerd ments ma them feel unsafe and unwele at school. Whg, who helped anize stunt protts of the book removals, cried when they learned that the feral ernment had opened an vtigatn.</p><p class="endmark">“It’s jt really good to hear that there are people who are listeng to and actually dog somethg about ,” Whg said. “It means a lot to hear that our efforts meant somethg.”</p><div class="expand-byle-ntributors articleByleContaer"><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><div class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--has-image expand-byle__thumbnail"><a href="><picture><source srcSet=" 2x, 1x"/><img loadg="lazy" src=" alt="" height="48" width="48"/></picture></a></div><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name"><a href=">Mike Hixenbgh</a></span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-twter"></span></a><a href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="byle-social--lk"><span class="in in-email"></span></a></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Mike Hixenbgh is a senr vtigative reporter for NBC News, based Hoton.</p></div></div><div class="expand-byle article-expand-byle" data-activy-map="expand-byle-article-bottom"><span class="byle-thumbnail byle-thumbnail--no-image expand-byle__thumbnail"></span><span class="byle-name expand-byle__name">Jeremy Schwartz, ProPubli/The Texas Tribune</span><span class="byle-social expand-byle__social"></span><div class="expand-byle__b-wrapper"><p class="byle-b expand-byle__b">Jeremy Schwartz is an vtigative reporter for the ProPubli-Texas Tribune Invtigative Iniative.</p></div></div></div></div></div><div class="article-body--right-rail-ntaer"><div class="article-body__right-rail layout-grid-em grid-l-4_5-l grid-l-3_5-xl grid-l-ph-half-xl"><div class="ad article-body__right-rail--ad ad--text-alignment ad-ntaer dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="boxflex" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[300,250],[300,600],[360,360],[360,720]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="10" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="body-bottom-remend"><div class="ad ad--midrponsive ad-ntaer dn-prt"><div data-mps="te" data-slot="midrponsive" data-siz="[[[1000,1],[[700,1],[5,5]]],[[758,1],[]],[[0,0],[]]]" data-offset="300" data-reh-terval="0" data-renr-on-view="te" data-targetg="{}" data-active-tab="te"></div></div></div></div></div></article></div></div><div id="hfs-footer" class="dn-prt" data-activy-map="hfs-footer"><footer class="hfsf" ><div class="ner"><div class="logo"><a href="><svg class="peack" viewBox="578 62 67 39" xmlns=" fill="currentColor"><g fill-le="evenodd"><path d="M579.074 90.58c1.717-4.494 6.472-6.08 10.697-3.37l18.29 12.754h-22.18c-4.62 0-8.252-4.23-6.8-9.385"></path><path class="feather" d="M579.074 90.58c1.717-4.494 6.472-6.08 10.697-3.37l18.29 12.754h-22.18c-4.62 0-8.252-4.23-6.8-9.385"></path><path class="feather" d="M597.563 75.863l9.442 21.613-19.478-13.35c-4.887-3.24-3.896-8.79-1.19-11.237 3.83-3.24 9.245-2.12 11.226 2.97"></path><path class="feather" d="M610.57 70.93l-3.433 24.19-9.772-23c-2.113-5.75 2.64-9.516 5.81-9.583 3.632-.396 8.188 2.38 7.396 8.394"></path><path class="feather" d="M625.494 72.103l-9.707 23.067-3.102-20.82c-.265-3.17 1.716-3.237 2.443-3.832-.133-.463-1.124-.463-1.124-.463h-1.848c-.198-5.42 4.028-7.8 7.462-7.535 3.697.132 7.856 4.428 5.876 9.583"></path><path class="feather" d="M635.338 84.167L615.86 97.584l9.177-21.348c2.775-6.742 9.245-5.42 11.556-2.842 2.51 2.51 3.235 7.6-1.255 10.773"></path><path class="feather" d="M637.448 99.9h-22.515l18.29-12.756c4.49-2.975 9.244-.266 10.498 3.635 1.327 4.36-1.65 9.12-6.27 9.12"></path></g></svg></a></div><nav class="lks"><ul class="lks__wrap" data-l-2="14" data-l-3=15><li><a href=" target="_self">About</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Contact</a></li><li><a href=">Help</a></li><li><a href=">Careers</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ad Choic</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do Not Sell My Personal Informatn</a></li><li><a href=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CA Notice</a></li><li><a href=">Terms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)</a></li><li><a href=">NBC News Semap</a></li><li><a href=">Advertise</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Select Shoppg</a></li><li><a href=" target="_self">Select Personal Fance</a></li></ul></nav><div class="py"><p>© 2023 NBC UNIVERSAL</p><div class="brands"><a href="><svg viewBox="0 0 120 20" fill="none" xmlns=" aria-labelledby="nbc_news_logo"><tle class="nbc_news_logo">NBC News Logo.