Texas middle school teacher is FIRED for assigning children a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary which includes a passage on female genitalia
- A teacher within the Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District was fired after having her students read a graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary
- The book – which contains mentions of genitalia and sexuality – was not presented to the school district for approval, officials allege
- School districts in Texas and Florida have removed the book from their libraries in the past over parents’ discomfort with the mature content
A Texas middle school teacher has been fired after assigning her students a graphic novel version of Anne Frank’s Diary – which references male and female genitalia.
Officials within the Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District confirmed that a teacher was let go and that the book had not been presented for prior approval.
In the graphic novel adaptation of the famed diary, Anne Frank details her exploration of her own body parts and her sexuality while going through puberty.
Upon learning of the book’s use in the curriculum, parents voiced their outrage while talking with KFDM, saying students were required to read out loud in class.
‘Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation’, based on the original 1947 diary is a newer version of the ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’
This is one page from the book which references genitalia and Anne’s desire to kiss her female friend Jacque
‘It’s bad enough she’s having them read this for an assignment, but then she also is making them read it aloud,’ said mom Amy Manuel, whose sons are in eighth grade.
‘Making a little girl talk about feeling each other’s breasts and when she sees a female she goes into ecstasy, that’s not ok,’ she continued.
In an email to the local Texas outlet last week, Hamshire-Fannett ISD representative Mike Canizales confirmed the teacher was released after the incident.
The instructor was initially dismissed from classes on Wednesday, September 13, but on Friday, officials said they were looking to hire a replacement for her.
‘The District is currently in the process of posting the position to secure a high-quality, full-time teacher as quickly as possible,’ Canizales wrote.
A teacher at Hamshire-Fannett Middle School was fired after having her students read the graphic novel version of Anne Frank’s diary
The seemingly innocuous graphic novel includes references to Anne Frank – and other young women – experiencing puberty and their periods.
At one point in the book, Anne mentions wanting to kiss her female friend Jacque and asking her friend if they could show each other their breasts.
‘If only I had a girlfriend,’ the graphic novel shares as a caption alongside a picture of Anne skipping through a row of naked statues of women in a garden.
Original versions of Anne’s diary omitted references to puberty and sexuality but the graphic novel, published in 2018, pulled from the original text.
The novel was published by Ari Folman and illustrated by David Polonsky. Folman’s parents are Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivors.
In an email to the local Texas outlet last week, Hamshire-Fannett ISD representative Mike Canizales (pictured) confirmed the teacher was released after the incident
Anne Frank was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944, and later died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945
In the Friday statement, Canizales said in the future, they plan to provide additional measures to ensure the appropriateness of content disseminated to students.
The communications coordinator also thanked parents for their ‘trust and partnership’ during the time of transition.
‘We appreciate your trust and partnership as we all work towards the common goal of safeguarding your child’s educational environment,’ Canizales wrote.
While the district maintains that the book was never approved, parents say that the book was on a list sent to parents at the beginning of the school year.
They believe someone higher than the unidentified teacher knew about the subject material and did not disapprove or strike it from the curriculum.
In a statement to KDFM, a source close to the teacher alleged that the principal of Hamshire-Fennett Middle School approved of the book.
The source also told the outlet the unnamed teacher has since lawyered up.
DailyMail.com reached out to officials within the district to inquire about the teacher’s termination and the investigation but did not receive a response.
Hamshire-Fannett ISD superintendent Dwaine Augustine
A still from the graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary
This is certainly not the first time the graphic novel version of Anne Frank’s Diary has sparked drama within a school district.
In April, a Florida school library removed the adaptation after a parent group complained it is sexually explicit and minimizes the Holocaust.
At the time, it was one of four books that were removed from libraries in the county – as school officials continue to review literature deemed contentious.
Jennifer Pippin, chairwoman of the group’s Indian River chapter, told WPTV that they objected to the book as it contained a ‘graphic scene’ in which Anne Frank asks a friend to expose themselves to each other.
Last August, the same book was reinstated within a Texas school district after it had been initially deemed ‘too graphic’ for school children.
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