Texas Legislature poised to implement sweeping restrictions on school libraries

Yahoo

27-05-2025

Texas school boards and parents would have unprecedented control over the school library book selection process under a wide-ranging state Senate bill that the House passed 87-57 Monday, moving it one crucial step forward in its path to becoming law.
Senate Bill 13 would require school districts to pull books with 'indecent,' 'profane' or 'sexually explicit' content and grant elected board members veto power over new purchases. Any new library material, whether digital or physical, would be subject to a 30-day public review period, after which the school board would have another month before a vote.
In support of the measure, Republicans said it will prevent students from being exposed to "sexually explicit' and inappropriate books. Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, authored SB 13.
'Senate Bill 13 understands that too often and for too long, our libraries have been filled with agendas, and it's time to end that,' said Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, the bill's House sponsor. 'The way to end it is to empower our local leaders and our parents to find some resolution.'
Democratic members called the bill a distraction from "real" problems that Texas children face, listing among them teacher shortages, housing instability and gun violence. They also argued the terms in the bill are unconstitutionally vague and could allow districts to strike classics like 'Lonesome Dove,' 'Catcher in the Rye' or 'Romeo and Juliet.'
'No child has ever died from a book, but many, like me, have been saved by one,' said Rep. Christina Morales, D-Houston.
The House version of SB 13 authorizes school boards to appoint parental library advisory councils, but does not require them. These councils will be tasked with singling out books that contain 'indecent content or profane content inconsistent with local community values or age appropriateness,' as per Buckley's Monday amendment.
This effort comes as a 2023 Texas law with a similar goal to SB 13 remains tied up in a First Amendment lawsuit. Under a ruling from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the state cannot enforce House Bill 900's requirement that vendors rate books for sexual content, meaning schools are not yet on the hook for removing them.
Librarians have warned SB 13 could substantially slow down the book purchasing process, creating a significant roadblock for the acquisition of new materials.
San Antonio school librarian Lucy Podmore said she was able to purchase a book on monologues for a student with a one-week turnaround this school year, making sure a student had it for a debate she was preparing for.
But 'If the bill is in place right now, we would have to wait six to eight weeks plus two more months to get that,' Podmore told the American-Statesman.
The librarian joined several dozen others to protest the bill Monday. Spread out on the floor and the steps outside of the House chamber, the group of parents, children, librarians and activists quietly read to themselves in front of a 'FREE TO READ' banner.
'I don't think this bill is about protecting children,' said Emily Kaszczuk, who participated in the "read-in" with her 6- and 9-year-old daughters from Leander. 'I think it's about control.'
If 20% of parents in a district petition for a library advisory council to be established, the school board is required to create one. SB 13 would also let any parent submit a list of titles that their children cannot check out, and access their children's borrowing histories.
Books that are challenged or under review would be removed from the shelves until probes are completed, at which time school board members would publicly vote on them.
More: Parent advisory councils could shape school library content under controversial Texas bill
Schools could use state funds to offset compliance costs under a successful amendment from Rep. Charles Cunningham, R-Humble.
Before the chamber's initial vote, Democratic members implored their colleagues to oppose the bill. Rep. Mihaela Plesa of Dallas, whose parents fled from Romania's communist regime, said SB 13 reminds her of measures used by that authoritarian government to stifle dissent.
'We do not protect liberty by silencing it, we do not strengthen education by censoring it, and we do not honor democracy by fearing diversity," she said.
For Rep. Jessica González, D-Dallas, the proposal 'will push LGBTQ kids away from the safety of school and education.'
As a concerned mother, freshman Rep. Hillary Hickland, R-Belton, said she supported the bill because she had seen what she called "filth" in library catalogs.
'Trust has been broken between parents and public schools," she said. "As a parent, we want to know that our kids are safe in the libraries."
The bill will go to a final vote Tuesday, and if it's passed, it will head back to the Senate. If the upper chamber disagrees with the changes, a conference committee will be appointed to hash out the details.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature poised to pass school library restriction bill