In 2021 the idea that certain books should be banned in Texas became a topic amongst Texas lawmakers. In October of that year, Texas State Representative Matt Krause sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) with a list of over 850 books that he thought should be removed from schools. Majority of these books dealt with topics like, race, gender identity, social justice, and sexuality. 11 of the books he suggested be banned talked about Roe vs Wade which was overturned the follow- ing year. There were also two books on the list by famous Black author Ta-Nehisi Coates and William Styron’s book “The Confessions of Nat Turner.” Senate Bill 3 was signed in 2021 by Gov. Greg Abbott that required public schools to create a process to review and remove books that would be considered inappropriate. Th is law requires school districts to have books reviewed by a committee.
The law does not directly require a statewide book ban, it does give school districts more control on what books they think need to be removed. In 2023, a school in Katy ISD bought $93,000 worth of new library books, but they were immediately put in a storage unit until they could be reviewed by a committee. From that new set of books, Katy ISD banned 14 books, put their total at 30 banned books. That same year, in Beaumont, TX a substitute middle school teacher was removed from their class room for reading parts of “The Diary of Anne Frank” to students. Since 2021, the Texas Book Ban has grown in many ways. Gov. Abbott said, “I’m signing a law that gets that trash out.” In Nov. 2024, Texas was ranked number three in the United States for book bans. There are four school districts in the state with the most book bans, North East ISD in San Antonio, TX banning 171 books, Fort Worth ISD banning 123 books, Conroe ISD banning 106 books, and Plano ISD banning 64 books.
A report for the 2023-2024 school year found that there was a 200 percent book ban increase compared to the previous school year. There are over 1,000 most common banned books, 44 percent of those books included characters who are people of color, 57 percent included sexual themes or depictions, and 39 percent had LGBTQAI+ characters. Books are a part of his- tory, and reading is important for the growth of a young mind. Banning books from schools may be hurting students more than it is helping them. Everyone should have a say in what books are in schools, but it is also important to make sure all voices and stories are heard.
