Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling on Texas School Boards to implement measures to stop students from being able to access inappropriate content on school campuses.
Last week, Abbott sent a letter to Executive Director Dan Troxell of School Boards, urging the organization to address any avenues students may be exposed to explicit and pornographic content both online and in literature.
“A growing number of parents of Texas students are becoming increasingly alarmed about some of the books and other content found in public school libraries that are extremely inappropriate in the public education system,” Gov. Abbott stated in his letter.
Adding, “The most flagrant examples include clearly pornographic images and substance that has no place in the Texas public education system. You have an obligation to Texas parents and students to ensure that no child in Texas is exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content while inside a Texas public school.”
Abbott did not share any particular incident for his recent concern for students and their exposure to explicit material. However, the Dallas Express reported on parental outrage at Richardson ISD over junior high ready and CBS DFW, a book with sexually explicit content was recently found in the library of Keller ISD.
The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) was quick to respond in a statement, sharing that the board does not have the authority to ban any materials within the schools.
It is unclear how Gov. Abbott plans to proceed with his concerns as he has yet to respond to the TASB’s comment.
Read their complete statement below.
“We have received Governor Abbott’s letter regarding parent concerns about books and other content reportedly found in some Texas public school libraries. We are confused, though, as to why this letter was sent to the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), which has no regulatory authority over school districts and does not set the standards for instructional materials, including library books.”
“The role of a school board primarily includes establishing a strategic plan for the district, adopting policies in public meetings, approving the district’s budget, and selecting and evaluating a superintendent.”
“In most school districts, the review and selection of individual library materials traditionally has been an administrative responsibility managed by professional district staff. Of course, school board trustees care deeply about parent concerns and community input. That’s why local school boards have policies and processes in place for parents to express their concerns about any matter affecting their local school community — including the challenge of library materials.”
