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Texas Freedom to Read Project, launched in December 2023, seeks to connect, support & mobilize parent led groups fighting to protect students' right to read throughout the state.

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News & Updates

Read the latest news & updates from Texas Freedom to Read Project.

American History from an Indigenous Perspective: Nonfiction or Fiction?

October 11, 2024

Here at Texas Freedom to Read Project we often feel disappointed and dismayed at the censorship attempts we see across the state, but we rarely feel surprised. However, this week, we learned about an incident that floored us. Thanks to the work of a concerned citizen, we discovered that the Montgomery County Citizens Review Committee (completely void of librarians) has ordered a juvenile nonfiction book- that documents American history from the perspective of the Wampanoag tribe-to be moved from the Juvenile Nonfiction Collection to the Fiction Collection of the Montgomery County Memorial Public Library.

Library Books are on the Agenda (Again)

October 07, 2024

Guest Post By Teresa Kenney The Montgomery County Commissioners’ Court is meeting on the morning of Tuesday, October 8 and on the agenda is a request to revisit the Library Reconsideration Materials Policy. We will once again be in attendance to speak out against the policy—which gives the power of book censorship to five commissioner-court-appointed citizens without librarian oversight or the opportunity for citizen discussion. If you are able to attend to speak out or show support, we welcome your participation. The court meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building, 501 North Thompson, 4th Floor, Suite 402 in Conroe.

Texans Fight For the Freedom to Read Corpus Christi Public Library

September 30, 2024

Those driving this seemingly relentless wave of censorship in Texas defend their actions by claiming restricting and removing books in K-12 public schools is not “a book ban,” but rather necessary to “protect children from obscene and harmful materials” which they dub “pornography.” They claim “No books are being banned. Anyone can still check these books out from their public library. These books just do not belong in schools.” Besides the fact that many of the books they target are not even close to “obscene” or “pornographic,” they are straight up lying.

Texas legislators want to know how HB 900 has affected Texas schools. Let's tell them.

September 17, 2024

The Education Committee of the Texas Senate is meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, September 18) to discuss the interim charges given to them by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. One of those interim charges is to “monitor the implementation of legislation” addressed by the committee and to “make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of those laws passed in the 88th Legislature.” Specifically, Patrick asked for help monitoring “oversight of public school library procurement and content policies.” That means HB 900, the anti-book “READER Act” designed to remove books en masse from Texas schools. Half of the law has been enjoined as likely unconstitutional by the extremely conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Nonetheless, the remaining parts of the law have wreaked havoc on education on the state, and we at Texas Freedom to Read Project intend to let the members of the committee know exactly how.

Share your HB900 Story with the Texas Senate Education Committee

September 16, 2024

The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider interim charges which include monitoring oversight of public school library procurement and content policies, on September 18 at 9am in the Sam Houston Building- Room E1.036 (Finance Room). This hearing will include opportunity for public testimony.

Katy ISD Board Proposes "Gender Fluidity" Book Ban

August 18, 2024

The Katy ISD School Board plans to discuss an EFB Local Policy revision on Monday, August 19, that will entirely prohibit library books in elementary school and junior high, that they believe "adopt, support or promote gender fluidity" and to require parental opt in, for high school students. The Board could vote on proposed changes as soon as Monday, August 26. The proposed policy revision also includes a section that appears to target vendors and "fundraising partners" (likely Scholastic Book Fairs) by requiring them to adhere to Katy ISD's local board approved library policies- even if they are likely discriminatory and unconstitutional. Remember, those driving these ideological book bans, strongly prefer vendors with a Christian Nationalist bent like SkyTree Books. More on SkyTree Books by our co-founder Frank Strong, here. 

Conroe ISD Book Bans Lead to Discussion of Policy Revisions

July 16, 2024

Last month, the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees heard a Level-3 grievance regarding the removal of 19 books—including classics like Brave New World, The Color Purple, and Beloved—from high school classroom collections. Lamentably, the board voted not to return the books to classrooms, with the majority arguing that because the committees that removed the books had not violated district policy in making their decisions, the board’s hands were tied.  

How Will Fort Bend ISD Respond?

June 05, 2024

Blasphemy. Vulgar and racist language. Radical political ideology. Radically pro-abortion. Violence including self-harm and suicidal ideations. Anti-religious. Profanity. Rape. Gore. Alcohol use by minors. Illegal drug use. Controversial religious commentary.  When objectors specify ideology they oppose, in addition to the sexually explicit content they describe, how is one to know whether they oppose the book based on the sexually descriptive content, or the ideas it contains? This distinction matters. In Island Trees v. Pico the Supreme Court ruled that the Island Trees School Board did *not* have the authority to remove books it characterized as “anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy.”

Will the Fort Bend ISD Board work to defend, or dismantle, the freedom to read on Wednesday?

June 02, 2024

The FBISD School Board of Trustees will conduct a Special Called Workshop meeting on Wednesday, June 5 at 6PM, to receive, consider and discuss information related to EF Local: Instructional Resources (aka classroom and school library books). This Workshop is the result of the vote by the FBISD Board on April 8, to postpone further discussion and revision to the EF Local Policy until after a workshop could be conducted to gather more information to inform and guide policy making.

A Letter to Texas Superintendents, Trustees & Curriculum Directors:

May 06, 2024

On Monday, May 6, 2024, Texas Freedom to Read Project, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, Authors Against Book Bans, and Children's Defense Fund of Texas sent the following joint letter to Superintendents, Trustees and Curriculum Directors, throughout the state of Texas, regarding the implementation of HB900 and the Texas State Library & Archive Commission library development standards. 
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