White Oak ISD’s Library Challenge Committee will meet at 2 p.m. today in the district’s board room, scheduled to hear a challenge to the 1999 coming-of-age novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
During their evening meeting in early January, a majority of the committee members voted to remove from White Oak’s collection the “Heartstopper” series (Volumes 1-5) by Alice Oseman. Per minutes published after the Jan. 6 meeting, the 4-1 vote banned the book after “a consensus of the committee found the material to be pervasively vulgar” and “harmful.”
Today’s meeting was rescheduled from last week after key posting requirements were not met.
January’s committee included WOISD parent-members Jon Carr, Heather Rejcek and Amber Richardson as well as WOISD Instructional Staffer Debby Deck and Librarian Lori Davis, the consistent committee member per policy. For the “Wallflower” challenge, in addition to Davis the committee includes parents Tiffany Jahr, Melanie McMahon and Brett Thompson as well as White Oak High School English teacher Stacy Shellhorse.
White Oak High School Principal Skylar Stagner appoints the committee members and runs the meetings.
According to the committee’s paperwork, the challenge to the “Heartstopper” books was filed Oct. 8, 2025 and assigned to the group Oct. 16. Carr, Rejcek, Richardson and Deck voted to remove the books; Davis opposed the measure. The minutes do not contain any further explanation of the ban beyond echoing the ‘Required Considerations’ to ‘Remove from WOISD libraries.’
To view today’s agenda, click here.
To see documentation from January’s ban:
• Public Notice
• Report of Findings on “Heartstopper” Vol. 1-5
• Committee Minutes of Jan. 6