The approval comes after “immediate action” was requested by the state for districts to adopt a policy based on Senate Bill 13, board documents state. SB 13 passed in the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023 and expands parental rights to review and question instructional materials used in the district.
The policy was required to be adopted before the 2025-26 school year, according to district documents.
The overview
A notable change is that elementary school libraries can’t include materials on human sexuality without approval from a new district committee. Elementary classroom libraries are prohibited from having any human sexuality content altogether, the new policy reads.
On this note, more context was added to a section on the protection of inappropriate materials. The new policy includes that “any library material containing indecent or profane content; any library material that refers a person to a website, or QR code, containing content legally prohibited under law,” is prohibited.
Trustee Jeff Larson said he was frustrated with this portion of the policy as it was “vague.”
“One thing they specifically call out is material that’s profane, and I would hope ... that doesn’t mean we have to take stuff like ‘Huckleberry Finn’ or ‘Macbeth’ off the shelves,” he said at the meeting. “We will continue to use common sense and provide the educational materials that our students need.”
Also of note
Other requirements in the policy is to allow parents to submit a list of books they don’t want their child to access, request access to visit libraries and view library catalogs, and submit feedback or challenge material, the new policy reads.
However, the district already has allowed parents to access school library catalogs and make selections on materials that they feel best support their child. They can also select materials they don’t want the child to access, said Suzy Farrell, CCISD’s director of library media services, at the meeting.
“The policy discussion around this was relatively easy, and I think a lot of it has to do with the practices that were already in place,” trustee Arturo Sanchez said at the meeting.
