Texas lawmakers passed SB 13 during this year's regular legislative session, and it became law Sept. 1. It aims to give parents and school boards more oversight over school library books, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Per the bill, Texas public school districts must adopt new policies to review books, solicit public comments and require board approval before adding new materials to the campus library catalogs for circulation.
The bill prohibits library materials:
- With “profane content” or “indecent content”
- Rated sexually explicit by the vendor
- That contain “harmful material"
- That are pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable, as referenced in Board of Education vs. Pico
- That refer to a website containing content prohibited by the law through a link or QR code
Before adding new titles to the CISD library materials board approval list, librarians will compare them to the district’s current library materials collection. They will also consult professional reviews, book summaries, the age level, vendor ratings and the school curriculum to determine whether that title supports it.
If a campus librarian chooses a book for the campus library, they will compare it to the district’s catalog. If a book title is already a part of the district’s collection, a librarian does not need to add it to the list for board approval.
The CISD Library Materials Board Approval list will be locked 30 days before a board meeting and will be posted on the district’s Library Services pages along with a link to a community feedback form, according to a CISD presentation.
During this 30-day period, district community members will be able to review the list and fill out the feedback form. District community members are defined by SB 13 as students 18 years old or older, district residents, district employees and parents with a current student. The library services staff will remove any books with concerns so they may be further reviewed.
The CISD Library Materials Board Approval List will be presented to the board for approval. Following the board meeting, campus librarians will be notified of any approvals or denials. If a title is denied, the librarians must remove it from any purchase lists, the presentation states.
What else?
If a book is challenged, the district will be required to remove the book from circulation during that challenge period. A book challenge typically takes four to eight weeks, depending on the length of the book.
Classroom libraries are also not included in the new library acquisition process. Teachers may purchase and add books to their classroom libraries, but if a title is denied by the board, it must also be removed from the classroom. Under House Bill 900, teachers were already required to make their classroom library collection available to parents through ParentSquare, Kristen Day, CISD library services and instructional materials coordinator, said.
What trustees are saying
Trustee Tim Hennessee emphasized the importance of books.
“I’m not a whole lot for censorship. I understand the need to have appropriate materials for appropriate needs on a campus,” Hennessee said.
Trustee David Krawczynski said this gives parents a voice in their students’ education.
“I think the vast majority of parents wanted a process and a way for them to be able to discuss what’s being in our libraries. I think this is a good way for them to have that voice and process to follow, regardless of the outcome,” Krawczynski said.
Board Vice President Russ Garner said he understood Hennessee's concerns, but felt like the process created by district staff was transparent and inclusive to parents.
“I think that mirrors or gets after the values of our community, and so I am confident that our—or 99.99% of our community—is not [going to] try to go off on a tangent and ban a bunch of books and do a bunch of ridiculousness. Every community has the village idiot but I feel like we’ve created a process that embraces our community with this,” Garner said.
