Abbott wants investigation into porn-related ‘criminal activity’ in Texas schools
Weeks after the Keller school district removed a book on gender identity from a high school library, Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on the Texas Education Agency to investigate “criminal activity” related to pornography in public schools.
“During this investigation, I ask the agency to refer any instance of pornography being provided to minors under the age of 18 for prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” Abbott said in the letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath.
It is unclear who would be prosecuted were materials deemed pornographic found in schools. Abbott’s office referred questions to the Texas Education Agency.
“TEA has received Governor Abbott’s letter dated November 10, 2021,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday evening. “The agency is currently reviewing, and in accordance with our longstanding practice related to investigations, we will provide an update at the appropriate time.”
Abbott does not cite specific examples, but the instructions to the agency follow a letter on Monday in which he referred to “Gender Queer: A Memoir” as containing “pornographic drawings.” The book, which is described by GoodReads as being about “what it means and how to think about” gender identity, was removed from the shelves of a Keller school district library after parents raised concerns about graphic sexual imagery.
Educator groups pushed back against the idea there’s pornography available in Texas schools. Clay Robison, a Texas State Teachers Association spokesman, in an email said Abbott is “trying to manufacture a crisis that doesn’t exist.”
“No one of sound mind and moral character thinks Texas students should have access to pornography in public schools,” Shannon Holmes, the Association of Texas Professional Educators’ executive director, said in a statement. “The primary people who think there is a ‘porn problem’ in public schools are running for public office.”
Holmes said there are processes in place for parents to address concerns about inappropriate content at the school board level and that teachers, students and parents are “at the breaking point” as they respond to pandemic-related learning loss.
“Accusations of criminal behavior by school officials, calls for a statewide investigation, and absurd complaints that a non-governmental association has ‘abdicated’ a duty and authority it never possessed are simply campaign tactics designed to drive up hysteria,” Holmes said.
The Keller school district in a Wednesday statement said it will “cooperate with any and all investigations promulgated by the TEA.”
“Illustrations of this sort should never be available in the school environment,” a spokesperson previously told the Star-Telegram in an email. “Ensuring our curricular materials are appropriate for students is a priority for Keller ISD. We are changing the process we use to review and approve books and related materials to prevent future incidents.”
Abbott on Monday instructed state education officials, including Morath, to create standards to ensure that students are not exposed to “pornography or obscene content” in classrooms and libraries. In addition to the book in the Keller school district, Abbott raised concerns with “In the Dream House,” a book about the author’s experience in an abusive, same-sex relationship that was removed from shelves in the Leander school district.
Texas law cited by Abbott Wednesday states that it’s against state law to provide to a person under 18 materials that appeal “to the prurient interest of a minor, in sex, nudity, or excretion; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and is utterly without redeeming social value for minors.”
However it’s a defense from prosecution if the material is shown, sold or distributed “by a person having scientific, educational, governmental, or other similar justification.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 11:59 AM.
