Texas superintendent defends teachers over book with profanity assigned to freshmen honors English

A Texas school district superintendent defended teachers online who were criticized for assigning a chapter of the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to a freshman honors English class because of profanity and crude humor. Abilene Independent School District Superintendent John Kuhn's Facebook post about the backlash went viral, drawing thousands of shares and hundreds of comments after a commenter referred to the teachers as demons.

Kuhn described the controversial passage as part of a book written in the voice of a nine-year-old boy who lost his father in the September 11, 2001 attacks. He said the passage includes the word s--t and a crude joke about talking butts, and it also uses the word p--- for a cat. He noted that the district could restrict the book to older students, but the assignment was given to honors students because another passage related to 9/11 was at too easy a reading level for that class. He argued that teachers are trying to push high-achieving students toward higher standards, and that they should not be demonized for trying to challenge learners.

Kuhn said he was surprised by the online backlash and by calls in the comments to "groom" students, describing the outrage as selective. He also told Fox News Digital that the original post with the critical comments had been removed or made private, and that he could not access the commenter’s shares to identify them.

Beyond the classroom debate, Kuhn tied the controversy to broader policy fights in the state. He criticized Senate Bill 2, which would create education savings accounts he characterized as vouchers draining public schools; he also targeted Senate Bill 13, which would require teachers to catalog every book in their classrooms, and House Bill 8, which would change standardized testing practices. He highlighted Senate Bill 12 and House Bill 3372 as part of a broader movement to centralize state leadership and curb local control of schools, saying there is a political effort to strip local officials of authority in education decisions.

The district said the book will be put on hold pending a review by a district committee to determine its suitability for display in the library, noting the work is rated for ages 14 and up. Kuhn emphasized that the hold is not a final decision on the work’s appropriateness, but rather a step to ensure due process in evaluation.

The incident underscores ongoing tensions in U.S. education policy over curriculum content and parental rights, a conversation intensified by state legislative activity in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In Texas and elsewhere, lawmakers have pushed for greater transparency and local control, while critics warn that such measures can limit teacher judgment and classroom exploration of challenging topics. As school districts navigate these pressures, local administrators say they are striving to balance literacy, intellectual growth and community standards while adhering to district review processes.

The outcry and the district’s response come amid a national wave of debates over what is taught in classrooms, how books are selected, and how much influence parents should have in school content. Kuhn said the district remains committed to thoughtful consideration of classroom materials and to defending teachers who work to meet the needs of advanced readers while complying with district policies and state law.