Libraries

The state’s teachers’ union said in a statement it would stand by the state’s public school teachers who “teach the truth.”

House Bill 900 requires book vendors to rate all their materials based on their depictions or references to sex before selling them to schools. Vendors say the law aims to regulate protected speech with “vague and over broad” terms.

Critics of the law, House Bill 900, have warned it is too broad and that it could ban literary classics as well as restrict students' access to books with LGBTQ+ characters.

The federal judge’s order requires the library system to update its online catalog to reflect the 17 books are available for checkout, and it prohibits officials from removing any more books.

Texas school districts banned 801 books last year — more than any other state in the U.S. Now, efforts to ban books are taking center stage during the 88th Texas legislative session.

According to PEN America, a growing number of local political and advocacy groups have focused their attacks on books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color.

As communities and school districts push for book bans, some Texas librarians are nearing their breaking point.

School districts are not required to adopt the agency’s recommendations but can use them as guidance as they develop new procedures or alter their policies for selecting or removing library books.

The American Library Association says libraries faced the highest number of book challenges since they started tracking in 2000. Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer topped their list of most challenged books.

Supporters say it's an equity issue, noting the fines have a greater impact on lower-income residents — the same people who may need library services most.