Letter to Hon. Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency Commissioner, the Hon. Martha Wong, Texas State Library and Archives Commission Chair, and the Hon. Keven Ellis, Texas State Board of Education Chair - Shield Children From Pornography, Inappropriate Content In Texas Public Schools

Letter

Dear Commissioner Morath, Chair Wong, and Chairman Ellis:

As you are aware, a growing number of parents of Texas students are rightfully outraged about
highly inappropriate books and other content in public school libraries. The most disturbing
cases include material that is clearly pornographic, which has absolutely no place in the Texas
public education system.

For example, Keller Independent School District was recently compelled to remove a book from
a school library titled Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe after complaints of the book's
pornographic drawings.

Additionally, Leander Independent School District recently removed several books from
classrooms because of inappropriate content. This included a book titled In the Dream House by
Carmen Maria Machado, which describes overtly sexual and pornographic acts.

Not only is the presence of pornography in schools inappropriate, it is also against the law. In
Texas, it is illegal to provide pornography to anyone under the age of 18.

In a letter last week, I raised concerns about this material with the Texas Association of School
Boards and encouraged the Association to work with its members to remove pornographic and
inappropriate content from Texas public schools. As the only entity in Texas that represents
every local school board in Texas, the Texas Association of School Boards has an obligation to
hold its members accountable and ensure that school districts are adopting the best practices
when it comes to vetting the content schools are making available to students.

Instead of addressing the concerns of parents and shielding Texas children from pornography in
public schools, the Texas Association of School Boards has attempted to wash its hands clean of
the issue by abdicating any and all responsibility in the matter.

Given this negligence, the State of Texas now calls on you to do what the Texas Association of
School Boards refuses to do.

I am directing the Texas Education Agency, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
and the State Board of Education to immediately develop statewide standards to prevent the
presence of pornography and other obscene content in Texas public schools, including in school
libraries.

These standards must ensure transparency about the materials being taught in the classroom and
offered in school libraries. They must also ensure that our schools have an appropriate and
transparent process, which includes parents and community members, to vet school and library
materials before they are used. Additionally, parents should be informed of the formal grievance
process, in the event an inappropriate book is identified.

Your action should ensure that no Texas child is exposed to pornography or obscene content
while in a Texas public school.

Source