NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – The New Braunfels Independent School District has suspended secondary student access to its libraries while it reviews its collection to align with the standards of Senate Bill 13.
Amy Payne, a New Braunfels ISD parent, is concerned that the new law is censoring books that students should have a choice to read.
“If a child goes into a library, they have the option to look at books, hold books, open them up, look at them, and choose, do they want that book or do they not? That’s part of learning critical thinking,” Payne said.
The district’s board of trustees voted unanimously Monday to temporarily suspend library services for secondary schools to conduct a “comprehensive review,” according to the district.
The district’s collection includes more than 195,000 books and resources, with secondary schools holding over 50,000 titles.
“The NBISD Board of Trustees is firmly committed to upholding the law as outlined in SB 13, which requires that school library materials remain free of content that is deemed to be ‘harmful material,’ ‘indecent content’ or ‘profane content,’ a news release from the district states.
Sen. Angela Paxton, author of SB 13, has repeatedly said this bill is to protect students from sexually explicit material.
“No child should pick up a book in a school library, of all places, and see sexually explicit, harmful material within its pages,” Paxton said. “Their young brains cannot unsee what they see.”
Senate Bill 13 defines harmful material in part as “appeals to the prurient interest of a minor, in sex, nudity, or excretion; is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and is utterly without redeeming social value for minors.”
According to the law, indecent content is described as “content that portrays sexual or excretory organs or activities in a way that is patently offensive.” Profane content is defined in the law as “grossly offensive language that is considered a public nuisance.”
SB 13 also “recognizes that parents are the primary decision makers regarding a student’s access to library material,” while encouraging schools to provide a library catalog transparency.
In a statement to KSAT, a spokesperson for New Braunfels ISD said the district “is using a third-party tool and an internal tool to scan the district’s library collection for potential SB 13 violations.”
Critics of SB 13 argue that suspending libraries for review is unnecessary.
Clay Robison, a representative of the Texas State Teacher Association, said he believes the new law is a “legislative outreach.”
“They need those books for their studies,” Robison said. “This is a disruption of the school year because of a new law that is a legislative overreach into the educational process.”
New Braunfels ISD stated that the district does not intend to limit access to the libraries permanently, but the suspension will remain in effect during the review.
The duration of the review is unclear.
“Once the review is complete, we look forward to restoring full access to materials that meet the legal and educational criteria,” according to the district.
Elementary school libraries are not affected by the suspension.
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