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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate passed a bill this week that would leave decisions on a school library’s catalog mainly up to parents and board members instead of librarians.
Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, authored Senate Bill 13, which would create school advisory boards made up of parents that are appointed by school board members.
SB 13 would allow school boards to determine the types of books that make it into school libraries. It’s part of a growing movement among Republican politicians to pass control of what is taught in schools to parents.
The bill heads to the Texas House next.
Book bans have gained momentum across the U.S. in recent years. A report from PEN America says Texas ranked third in the nation in book bans, banning 538 books from 12 districts in the 2023-2024 school year. Florida and Iowa followed.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement following the vote: “Texas parents expect their child’s school library to have educational content, not sexual content or woke ideologies meant to indoctrinate our students. These types of books have no place in our schools and must not be tolerated. Students need access to books that are grade, age, and developmentally appropriate. I thank Sen. Paxton for her continued leadership on this crucial issue.”
About 57% of banned books across the nation included sex or sex-related topics and content; 44% included characters or people of color; and 39% included LGBTQ+ characters or people.
The most banned titles nationwide include The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
