Southlake superintendent says district hasn’t banned book by grandson of former slave

A book by the grandson of a slave who learned to read when he was 98 has not been banned from Southlake schools, Carroll ISD Superintendent Lane Ledbetter said Wednesday.

However, some content in George Dawson’s memoir, Life is So Good, was determined inappropriate for students at the middle school bearing his name, Ledbetter said in a statement. That decision was made after the book went through the district’s annual curriculum review process this summer.

The book tells the story of Dawson’s life, from segregation and the civil rights movement to learning to read late in life.

“I WANT TO BE CLEAR – ‘Life is So Good,’ the book written about the life and legacy of George Dawson, has NOT been banned or placed under reconsideration as part of the formal challenge process,” he stressed in a statement.

Ledbetter said officials are ensuring the middle schoolers have access to Dawson’s story, though he did not elaborate on wheher students have access to the entire book or excerpts.

“The principal is working with the teacher to ensure that sensitive content is delivered in the most age-appropriate manner, while maintaining the integrity of the content of the book, the author’s intended message, and certainly honoring the legacy of Mr. Dawson,” Ledbetter said.

He did not go into details about what content in the book was deemed inappropriate.

The superintendent noted that Dawson “has been an inspiration to our community for many years.” The Tarrant County district named the middle school after him in 2002.

Life Is So Good is among about 10 books under review by Carroll ISD, according to district documents.

A teacher wanted to use the memoir as required reading in a seventh-grade class. A district team — made up of teachers, principals and curriculum coordinators — determined “that content in one chapter of the book was not appropriate for this age group.”

“The specific direction provided by the district team was to allow the book to be used with teacher-led instruction in a few sections of the book where the teacher can facilitate the delivery of sensitive content and still convey the message of the author,” Ledbetter said in a statement.

The district has been under fire from some community members, who have taken to social media, saying the district is using semantics to avoid saying the book is banned.

Ledbetter pushed back on that notion saying the district was following its routine process in examining materials requested to be required reading for a class.

Books, text excerpts and other materials requested to be used by teachers are vetted through that internal curriculum review team. The members consider the readings for age and content appropriateness across all subject areas and grade levels, Ledbetter explained.

It is through this process that Life Is So Good was flagged.

Separately, the district has a book challenge process that allows Carroll school trustees to review materials. Ledbetter noted that so far this year, no books have been brought through that formal challenge process by community or staff members.

“Recently, there has been some hyper-charged rhetoric in the media about ‘book banning’ and what content is and is not appropriate for students of varying ages,” Ledbetter said in the statement.