A Change.org petition urging North East Independent School District to reinstate banned books is about 500 signatures short of reaching its 15,000 signature goal.
The petition was started eight months ago and requests the district stop banning books from the "Krause List" at campus libraries.
The list was created by State Rep. Matt Krause in 2021. It advised school districts across the state to review and remove over 850 titles that could cause students "psychological distress."
The books on the list explored topics on race, sexuality, LGBTQ+ issues and more.
The petition emphasizes that the district is under no obligation to comply with the list and argues the book removals attack marginalized students.
An analysis by the Houston Chronicle found NEISD led Texas school districts in book reviews and removals. There are 431 titles that were reviewed for appropriateness, while 119 titles were removed or partially removed.
The district said it intended to replace removed titles with other books of the same topic or theme.
NEISD is just one of dozens of school districts across the country that have increasingly banned books from its libraries.
