{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.

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.

{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. 

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. 

*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.

We have unlocked a new level of dystopian, book-banning, and censorship hell in Texas. Students in Lamar Consolidated ISD, a rapidly growing, mid-size public school district located west of Houston, can no longer learn about the state of Virginia on their online research database, Pebble Go Next. In response to a public records request filed by Texas Freedom to Read Project, LCISD acknowledged that "Virginia" has been removed from Pebble Go Next, due to the lesson violating the school board's local library policy- EFB Local- for "frontal nudity." 

Guest Blog Post by Montgomery County Library Supporter, Village Books Owner and friend of Texas Freedom to Read Project- Teresa Kenney

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System’s citizens review committee is once again on the Montgomery County Commissioners’ meeting agenda for October 22. We need everyone who is able to come out to court to speak out against the policy or to support those who do.

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.

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.