Books that have been temporarily removed recently for a compliance review are stacked up on a table in the library at Ramstein High School in Germany. Many of the books that have been singled out touch on LGBTQ+ topics. The review was prompted by recent executive orders. (Jasmine Vu)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — The Pentagon’s schools in Europe have an extra two weeks to comply with recent executive orders that have shut down cultural events, disbanded clubs and sidelined lessons on immigration, among other changes.

But a private organization that advocates on behalf of military children in Europe is urging Congress to pause the implementation of those orders for much longer and require Pentagon leaders to give Department of Defense Education Activity schools clearer direction.

“This lack of clarity is leading to widespread censorship, librarians being forced to remove books and clubs being canceled due to ‘possibly’ being out of compliance,” the European Parent Teacher Student Association said in a message this week to lawmakers.

The letter, dated Tuesday, is addressed to the House Armed Forces Subcommittee on Personnel and has a subject line of “Protection from Censorship, Book Removal and Clarity Needed in DODEA Schools.”

A review period of six months to a year would allow for staff training and correct implementation, the letter says.

“Our military children, who already face unique challenges, deserve better,” the letter states. “They need access to diverse perspectives and resources that empower them to navigate life’s difficulties with grace and compassion.”

Kristen Smith, the Europe PTSA vice president of legislation and the person who signed the letter, said Thursday that the speed with which DODEA has had to carry out the executive orders has caused confusion and mistakes.

For example, rainbows, which were removed from some kindergarten classes, are now allowed as long as they aren’t used as a Pride symbol, she said.

“That’s proof that a lot of people were acting out in fear, and that also, DODEA is paying attention and willing to recognize those things,” Smith said.

The European PTSA is compiling a list of items shared with its members that the organization believes may have resulted from misinterpretation of the policies directed by the Pentagon.

Examples include the removal at one school of a Rosa Parks poster, and at another, a poster in a classroom of a child in a wheelchair. At still another school, a student book report on a child with autism was stopped, Smith said.

The PTSA at one school was told it could no longer hold its Fasching event, a traditional German celebration featuring costumes and carnival-like festivities, Smith said.

Some schools removed all artwork or posters of Martin Luther King Jr., while some just removed the Black History Month title from similar posters.

“The amount of detail they have to be concerned about, and the ins and outs of it all is incredible in following these policies and these laws,” Smith said.

DODEA schools have been ordered to comply with the recent executive orders titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” and “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.”

A third executive order, issued Jan. 31, prohibits Defense Department agencies, including DODEA, from using official resources to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months.

In Europe, schools had been given until Tuesday to comply, but the deadline was extended until March 3 “by senior leadership to conduct a thoughtful review of materials,” DODEA-Europe spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said Wednesday. The other regions have a similar deadline, she said.

Schools are reviewing the curriculum and books to ensure they align with the White House directives and Pentagon guidance, DODEA officials have said.

A few lessons were identified earlier this month for removal during the review period, including elementary school reading assignments on immigration to America, Black History Month social studies material and chapters on sexuality and gender for high schoolers.

As part of the review, instructional resources “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics” as defined in the executive orders “will be identified for disposition,” Tackaberry said in a statement Wednesday.

No books have been permanently removed from school libraries, pending completion of the review, Tackaberry said.

At Ramstein High School, more than 50 books were set aside for review.

Jasmine Vu, a sophomore who is part of the school’s library management team, said the librarian explained the general guidelines used to pull books.

“Gender ideology means anything regarding trans people, we’re taking it out,” she said. “Discriminatory equity ideology is anything that goes ‘This group of people is better than that group of people.’ ”

Books that have been removed so far include the popular teen series “Heartstopper,” an LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novel and webcomic series by the British author Alice Oseman that is also on Netflix.

Others in the stack include “Rise Up and Sing,” which explores how music has contributed to social justice, and the memoir “The World in Flames: A Black Boyhood in a White Supremacist Doomsday Cult.”

“I’m in the library club. You see that big stack during meetings, it’s kind of sad and depressing,” Vu said.

The European PTSA has met with staffers of five congressional lawmakers so far, with more to follow.

The group is encouraging parents and students who are concerned about possible policy misinterpretations to talk with a school administrator, teacher or counselor.

The next step would be to write a letter to Congress, and the European PTSA has a template for that on its Facebook page.

Some parents who have raised issues say their schools haven’t been helpful.

The parent of a middle school student at Ramstein, who asked not to be identified because of the nature of her job, said she received a canned response from the administration directing her to the DODEA civil rights office.

She had expressed concerns about the disbanding of cultural clubs and the ban on Black History Month observances.

The parent said her child’s class was reading “Hidden Figures,” a book about the barriers that Black female scientists faced while doing work for NASA and its precursor through the 1960s.

The teacher was forced to end the discussions and lessons planned for the unit, she said.

“They had to pivot to making the lessons about paper airplanes and how math can help with something,” the parent said. “No conversations about women in science … none of that is allowed anymore.”

Allison McKenzie contributed to this report.