No porn in school, Texas governor tells education leaders in asking for book standards
Gov. Greg Abbott asked education officials Monday to ensure that public school students are not exposed to “pornography or obscene content” in classrooms and libraries.
The governor wrote to the Texas Education Agency, State Board of Education and Texas State Library and Archives Commission, calling on leaders to develop “statewide standards to prevent the presence of pornography and other obscene content in Texas public schools, including in school libraries.”
“As you are aware, a growing number of parents of Texas students are rightfully outraged about highly inappropriate books and other content in public school libraries,” Abbott said. “The most disturbing cases include material that is clearly pornographic, which has absolutely no place in the Texas public education system.”
The letter does not define “pornography” or “obscene content,” but points to two books as examples, including the presence of the book “Gender Queer: a Memoir” in a Keller school district library. The district removed the book from a high school library following social media posts from parents concerned about its graphic imagery. The book looks at “what it means and how to think about” gender identity, according to GoodReads.
Abbott also notes a book that was removed from Leander school district shelves, “In the Dream House,” a memoir in which author Carmen Maria Machado examines her experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship, according to GoodReads. The district has removed several books from lists for high school book clubs, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Parents should also be informed about the formal grievance process when a inappropriate book is identified, Abbott said.
“Your action should ensure that no Texas child is exposed to pornography or obscene content while in a Texas public school,” Abbott said.
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath said the agency plans to comply with Abbott’s request.
“The Texas Education Agency takes seriously Governor Abbott’s call for action on this matter of great importance to families of Texas public school students,” he said in a statement. “As directed, we will work closely with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the State Board of Education to develop statewide standards to prevent the presence of pornography and other obscene content in our public schools, including school libraries. We appreciate the Governor’s leadership on this.”
Reached by phone, Martha Wong, chair of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, read a prepared statement from the commission:
“The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is committed to the safety and the education needs of students of Texas. We look forward to working with the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education to support our students and their families.”
State Board of Education Chairman Keven Ellis said in a statement he, too, promised to work collaboratively to develop standards. He said “a growing number of Texas parents are rightfully disturbed, and yes, outraged by highly inappropriate books and other resources showing up in public school libraries.”
“Our public school families throughout Texas should have the reassurance that their children are not at risk of being confronted with pornographic and obscene material when they are in school,” Ellis said.
A spokesperson for the Fort Worth school district said it would comply with the statewide standards when developed and shared. The Southlake Carroll school district did not immediately return requests for comment and the Arlington School district directed comment to the Texas Education Agency.
“We are aware that we were mentioned and as always, will follow any new guidance provided by TEA,” the Keller School district said in a statement.
The letter comes as Fort Worth Republican Rep. Matt Krause has called on an unspecified number of districts to provide information on more than 800 books that may be in school libraries and classroom. The books cover topics like race and racism, sex and sexuality, abortion and LGBTQ rights. Krause has given districts until Friday to respond, though the Austin and Dallas school districts have said they will not respond.
Abbott previously sent request to School Board Association
Earlier this month, Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Association of School Boards that asked the organization to determine the extent to which obscene material exists in schools and to ensure there is transparency regarding what materials are being taught in classrooms and are available in libraries. The association wrote back on Nov. 3 telling Abbott that the Texas Education Agency and State Board of Education were better places to oversee such monitoring.
“TASB has no regulatory authority over school districts and does not set the standards for instructional materials, including library books,” the group’s Executive Director Dan Troxell said in the letter.
Abbott criticized the association in his Monday correspondence with state officials, stating that the association is attempting to “wash its hands clean of the issue by abdicating any and all responsibility in the matter.”
“We have seen Governor Abbott’s Nov. 8 letter. We’re pleased to see that he has now addressed his concerns about reported pornography in public schools to the regulatory entities outlined in our Nov. 3 letter to him,” the association said in a statement. “As a private, non-profit membership organization focused on supporting school governance and providing cost-effective services to school districts, TASB will continue to be committed to assisting our members serve the schoolchildren of Texas.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 2:45 PM.
