About Us

Who we are | What we stand for

About

Sign the Petition: Stop Book Bans in Texas

Stop Book Bans in Texas

Join Us!

Connect with us

Send us a message to join our campaign!

Connect

Follow Us

Follow us on X for updates and information

Follow Us

Sign the Petition

Sign the petition to Stop Book Bans in Texas, today!

Sign

About Us

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.

About Us

Sign a Petition Today!

News & Updates

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

Texas Freedom to Read Project Response to Dan Patrick's Attacks on School Libraries, Librarians, and Students' Rights to Read.

August 20, 2026

(Texas, USA)- Yesterday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and pearl-clutching, pro-censorship political activist Bonnie Wallace held a press conference at the Texas State Capitol, delivering an ultimatum to public school districts: remove books they have arbitrarily deemed "dirty" and "filthy" from school libraries or face new legislation next session that will automatically drop a district's state A–F accountability rating by a full letter grade. Threatening to slash a school district’s A–F accountability rating over library books is not about protecting students. It is a power grab. It’s a calculated effort to force state takeovers and strip local control away from parents and communities. This is government-forced ideological compliance and just one piece of the larger plan to dismantle public education.

More Than 100 Classic and Acclaimed Works of Literature Removed from Texas Schools Last Year

July 29, 2026

{This post was originally published on Texas Freedom to Read Project cofounder, Frank Strong's, independent Substack: Anger & Clarity. It is re-published here, with permission.} Texas Freedom to Read Project is compiling information on book removals in the state of Texas in the 2025-2026 school year. It’s the most comprehensive attempt to track the statewide effects of book-banning bills—especially Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 13—that were passed in the state’s 2025 legislative session. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who made both of those bills a priority, has charged the Senate Education Committee with monitoring the implementation of SB12 and SB13, and making “recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation” of those laws. We have a ton of information on how the implementation of those bills has played out, and we are going to make sure the Education Committee hears it.

EveryLibrary and Texas Freedom to Read Project Candidate Survey 2026

April 29, 2026

Texas Freedom to Read Project has once again partnered with EveryLibrary to survey Texas school board candidates about their positions on school book bans, the freedom to read, and the value of libraries and public schools in Texas. Surveys were sent to candidates for the May elections in the 150 largest school districts in Texas. Thirty-one respondents filled out the survey completely. This is the second time Texas Freedom to Read Project and EveryLibrary have conducted this survey. In 2024, 22 candidates completed the survey, allowing us to identify several trends that have since shaped political battles around school library books. Whereas 2024’s survey revealed deep divisions in the ways Texans approach restrictions on instructional materials and library books, this year’s survey suggests a growing consensus on the value of libraries and librarians in schools as well as a recognition of the importance of the freedom to read for Texas students.

Showing up matters. Even when you're the only one.

April 23, 2026

{Post written in collaboration with Izzy Mason, New Braunfels ISD parent.}  Fighting book bans and censorship in Texas is not for the faint of heart. Not a single victory for the freedom to read has been won by people staying home and staying silent. The only "wins" we've had, are when people find the courage to stand up and speak out. Keep showing up. Keep speaking up. Even if your voice shakes. Even if you're the only one. Our kids, our libraries, and our freedom to read are worth the fight.  NBISD parent, Izzy Mason, delivered this pointed public comment during the open forum at a recent New Braunfels ISD school board meeting. The transcript and video of her comment are shared here, with permission. May this example bring you some inspiration and motivation to speak up, too. 

Urgent: The State Wide Reading List is Back.

April 02, 2026

In January so many of you reached out to the State Board of Education (SBOE) in opposition to the proposed mandatory reading list that the board punted on its plan to impose a rigid reading curriculum on all schools across the state, pushing off any action on the issue until April. Well, it’s April.  Consideration of a mandatory literary works (aka required reading) list is back on the board’s agenda for next Tuesday, April 7, and we need your help in letting the board know that the current options on the table are still too restrictive. If adopted as-is, the lists under consideration would stifle a wide range of ideas and funnel students toward a narrow, tightly controlled worldview. And they would leave teachers with little flexibility to provide books that resonate with their students’ experiences or present diverse perspectives. 

Take action: stop national censorship bill, H.R. 7661.

March 19, 2026

United States House Resolution 7661 threatens to expand Texas’s unconstitutional, anti-LGBTQ+ censorship laws and local school board policies to every public school in the country. 

New Braunfels ISD bans 600+ books, ages up 800+ titles using AI & overly-restrictive selection criteria.

March 11, 2026

*This post is part of a series by Texas Freedom to Read Project, utilizing records collected by volunteers through Public Information Requests to document the impact of laws like House Bill 900, Senate Bill 12, and Senate Bill 13.* New Braunfels ISD made headlines at the start of the 2025-2026 school year, when the school board abruptly ordered the closure of all secondary libraries under the guise of ensuring compliance with Senate Bill 13. This decision followed public (baseless) allegations, complaints, and harassment of district staff and trustees by in and out of district activists over library books.  After vocal community outcry, the NBISD school board instructed the district to re-open the libraries, while simultaneously ordering an extensive internal review of the district’s entire library collection at all campus levels.  The school libraries may be open- but according to public documents obtained by a volunteer for Texas Freedom to Read Project- books are being removed and restricted at an alarming rate.

A Children’s Book, a Packed Library, and a Community Standing for the Right to Read

December 11, 2025

{Guest Post by Miranda Williamson} What began as a petition to remove a single trans-affirming children’s book became a town debacle as over 100 people packed into the Salado Library. Parking was full and spilling into the nearby grocery store and gas station lots. Outside, protesters with Indivisible Centex held signs proudly displaying slogans like “Your beliefs don’t control my reading,” and urged attendees to “Choose knowledge over fear.”

Texas Freedom to Read Project Responds to Supreme Court’s Denial in Little v. Llano

December 09, 2025

Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to take up Little v. Llano County, allowing the en-banc decision of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stand. We at Texas Freedom to Read Project are disappointed and gravely concerned about what this means not only for Texans, Mississippians, and Louisianans (those in the Fifth Circuit), but for the future of libraries and the freedom to read across this country.

Texas School Districts are Overwhelmed by New Library Laws: AI is Not the Answer

October 30, 2025

{Guest Blog Post by Rachael Welsh} In May of this year, several newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, published a list of books to read over the summer. While this would normally be an eventful article, a list of books for vacations and poolside reading, there was a problem with this list: ten of the fifteen books weren’t real. 
More Posts

Support students' rights & efforts to fight book bans in Texas

Choose Amount:
$25
$50
$100
$250
$1000
$2500
Donate

Friends of Texas Freedom to Read Project