DALLAS (AP) — A suburban Dallas school has reversed course and will let students read seven books removed from an approved list amid concerns about sex, abortion and rape references.

Highland Park Independent School District Superintendent Dawson Orr on Sunday night apologized for the disruption.

Orr says he decided earlier this month to suspend the seven titles that came under question by hundreds of parents. Orr says he acted in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict but his decision had the opposite effect.

Orr served as superintendent of the Wichita Falls ISD from 2003 to 2008 and was appointed to the Superintendent position in Highland Park in January 2009.

Other parents and students challenged the ban on books including "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls, about growing up in poverty, and "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison.

Orr says the district will work to provide greater transparency and inclusion of all viewpoints on its literature review committee.

Online:

http://www.hpisd.org/

 

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More From Newstalk 1290