Grapevine-Colleyville schools postpone book fairs, wants to review list in advance
Parents in the Grapevine-Colleyville school district learned this week that officials decided to postpone book fairs because the vendor could not provide documentation of books that would be available.
The district issued an emailed statement which said in part: “While book fairs are currently postponed, we are looking at other options to continue to provide the full book fair experience for our students, families, and staff, and will have more information for you as soon as those details are established.”
Nicole Lyons, a district spokesperson, did not provide the name of the vendor or a list of the requirements and expectations, but said in an email to the Star-Telegram that the district asked the vendor to provide a “comprehensive” list of the books that would be for sale 14 days in advance.
“At this time, the vendor has not offered assurances that they could comply with our expectations,” Lyons wrote.
The book fair announcement came at the same time that Keller announced that all books that were challenged during the past year were going to be reviewed for a second time under a new policy that the school board adopted last week.
The news about the book fairs concerned some parents.
Rachel Wall, whose 6-year-old son is a student in the district, said the book fairs are a great way for children to read and to learn about different topics.
“I’m concerned about a group of people wanting parent choice, wanting to have a say,” she said. “What they’ve done is take away my parental rights entirely. Look at book fair opportunities that are provided to kids. I think it’s empowering.”
