04/23/2026
Whatcha up to Conroe ISD? Why you acting so shady? Why not talk about the books you’re rejecting and why, in an open meeting- for transparency’s sake? 👀👀👀
At the March Conroe ISD board meeting, new library acquisitions were tabled until April. The document included in the March board packet was marked as “Posted February 11, 2026 – March 11, 2026.” When the list reappeared in April, it carried the exact same posting dates.
But it was not the same. Between March and April, books quietly disappeared off the list.
Thanks to community member Mark Brooks for bringing this to light, we now know that titles were removed without explanation or transparency. Among them were elementary-level biographies of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders—books designed to help young readers understand the people shaping their world. Yet comparable titles on Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi remained.
Also removed was "Black Hands: Builders of Our Nation," a picture book by an award-winning author and illustrator that highlights the contributions of Black Americans to our country’s history. So too was "Not Nothing," a story about a young boy who forms an unexpected friendship with a Holocaust survivor while volunteering at a senior living facility—a book rooted in empathy, memory, and human connection.
Why were these and other books removed without acknowledgment and explanation? There was no note on the April list that indicated it had been amended. Why are these decisions being made out of view?
Transparency matters. Because what is taken away quietly speaks just as loudly as what is allowed to remain.