EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Among hundreds of new Texas state laws that went into effect on Sept. 1, one law will give parents with children in public schools greater control over what their children can read and check out at their school’s library.
Senate Bill 13 directs public school districts across the state to grant parents access to review their children’s school catalog of available library materials (books or other documents) and its records.
If parents find any library materials they deem are harmful to their children, they can submit a list of the materials to the school that they don’t want their children to be allowed to check out or use outside of the school library.
Many parents with children at public schools from El Paso ISD said they’re supportive of SB 13 as they said it allows them to be more involved in their children’s education.
“I think it’s great when parents express interest and are involved in their kids’ education. So, I think it’s a really good thing that we have access to what our kids are exposed to. And I guess it’s a two-way street,” said Cecilia Valdenea, a parent.
“(I think it gives) parents that comfort of knowing what’s going on with their kids at school and allowing us to be involved and not have any more surprises. (Like having to question) ‘Why are they doing this in school? Or why are they running these kinds of books?’” said a parent at EPISD who wanted to remain anonymous. “So I just think that that’s it’s about time that somebody did something about it.”
However, there are other more controversial layers to SB 13. It also empowers parents to challenge or appeal to a district’s board of trustees a library book or other materials they think are harmful to their children. The challenge must go through a lengthy process that may result in the materials getting removed from library catalogs district-wide.
Norma De La Rosa, president of the El Paso Teacher’s Association, said teachers and librarians across EPISD believe this is a bridge too far.
“If the parent does not want their child to read a specific novel, magazine or whatever, that’s their prerogative. But to enforce their beliefs and their feelings on other students in the classroom, in our schools, or in our public libraries, is going a bit too far, because you will be infringing on the rights of others,” De La Rosa said.
“There may be parents who, will say, ‘No, I’m allowing my child to read that book or to read that novel or to read that magazine. I want them to be an all-around learner. I want them to learn about everything that there is to learn,” De La Rosa added.
SB 13 also directs school districts to establish a local school library advisory council, made up of parents who are not employed by the district, if at least 10 percent or 50 or more parents of students enrolled in the district present to a district’s board of trustees a petition to establish such a board.
When established, the school board must hear recommendations made by the advisory council before making decisions to either add or remove items from a school’s library catalog.
The advisory council would also be involved in making recommendations to a school board over challenges and appeals made by parents over library items.
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