DALLAS — A national free speech organization is raising alarm over Texas lawmakers’ “dangerous escalation” of efforts to restrict what books are available to students at school.
This week state Rep. Tom Oliverson, a Cypress Republican, filed a bill that would create state-mandated ratings for school library books based on what’s age appropriate.
But such a system gives “unprecedented power” to government officials to dictate what students and families can read, which could be determined based on subjective and potentially politicized decisions, officials at PEN America said in a release.
It’s a “clear effort to intimidate publishers and police the circulation of ideas and information,” the statement continued. “The mere introduction of this censorious legislation is chilling.”
Oliverson could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.
The bill, one of hundreds filed this week ahead of the next legislative session, lays out a proposed rating system that would have publishers indicate whether a book is appropriate for children younger than 7. Those materials that contain “explicit depictions of sexuality, strong profanity, and graphic violence” would be labeled as intended for ages 17 and up only.
The ratings would be required to be “affixed to the cover” of each book under the proposal. If publishers failed to comply, schools could be barred from purchasing any books from them.
“It is quite scary for students like me to witness first-hand these unprecedented efforts to erase our identities and our history,” said Cameron Samuels, a recent Katy Independent School District high school graduate.
Samuels spoke at a Wednesday virtual event addressing the rise in book bans held by the Campaign for Our Shared Future, which aims to support high quality and inclusive K-12 education.
“Students across the country are facing the chilling effect of censorship,” Samuels said.
With this proposal Oliverson, who serves as vice chairman of the Texas House GOP Caucus, joins other conservatives who have pushed recently for tighter restrictions around what students can read.
Starting with efforts to ban the teaching of "critical race theory" — an academic framework that probes the way policies and laws uphold systemic racism — from schools, conservatives have also gone after topics around race, gender. sexuality and LGBTQ issues.
This week, the Keller school board embraced a policy that prohibits library books throughout all grade levels that touch on gender fluidity.
A September report, also from PEN America, found Texas removed more books from school libraries than any other state this year, with more than 800 books pulled from school shelves between July 2021 and June 2022.
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