School Curriculum and Library Books

The basics

The elected State Board of Education sets statewide curriculum standards and reviews and adopts instructional materials¹. It has 15 members elected from regions of the state². Local school boards pick books and materials within those rules.

In 2023, Texas passed the READER Act (House Bill 900), which required book vendors to rate school library books for sexual content. On January 17, 2024, a federal appeals court upheld an order blocking the rating requirement, finding vendors were likely to win their claim that it unconstitutionally compelled their speech³. A federal judge permanently blocked the rating provisions on October 21, 2025⁸. The state appealed again in February 2026, and that appeal was still pending as of May 2026⁹.

In 2025, Senate Bill 13 required school boards to approve library purchases in a public meeting. It lets any parent, employee or resident challenge a book, and requires a library advisory council, with a majority of parents who do not work for the district, if enough parents petition. Parents can also list books their child may not check out⁴¹⁰.

Also in 2025, Senate Bill 12 took effect September 1. It bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs in K-12 schools, bars clubs based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and limits instruction on those topics. Civil rights groups, students and a teachers union sued⁵. On February 20, 2026, a federal judge temporarily blocked four of its provisions, but only in the Houston, Katy and Plano school districts. Other districts must still follow the law¹¹.

Senate Bill 10 (2025) requires a Ten Commandments poster in every public school classroom. On April 21, 2026, the full federal appeals court covering Texas upheld the law by a 9 to 8 vote⁶¹². In August 2026, the challengers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case, and that request is pending¹³.

Key terms

TEKS

The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the statewide curriculum standards set by the State Board of Education¹.

Library advisory council

A local council that reviews book challenges and advises the school board. A majority of its voting members must be parents who do not work for the district. SB 13 requires one if 10% of parents or 50 parents, whichever is fewer, petition⁴¹⁰.

Book challenge

A formal request to remove or restrict a book. Under SB 13, the school board must decide after the advisory council's review period of up to 90 days⁴.

Government speech

A legal idea that the government can choose its own message. In a 2025 Llano County library case, seven judges of the federal appeals court covering Texas said library collection choices are government speech, but that reasoning did not get a majority of the court⁷.

In Texas

Courts have drawn some lines. Forcing private vendors to rate books was blocked³⁸. In a 2025 case from Llano County, the full federal appeals court covering Texas ruled 10 to 7 that library patrons cannot use free speech claims to challenge a public library's removal of books, which gives local officials wide room over what stays on the shelves⁷. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear that case on December 8, 2025¹⁴.

Supporters call the recent laws parental rights protections. Critics call some of them censorship. Under SB 13, the elected local school board approves library purchases and makes the final call on book challenges⁴.

How people see it

The strongest case for each view, in terms its supporters would recognize. We don't pick a side.

Questions to ask a candidate

• Who should have the final say when a parent objects to a library book: the parent, a council, the board or librarians?
• Should one parent's objection be able to remove a book for every student, or only for their own child?
• Do you support the Ten Commandments classroom display law? Why?
• What is one change you would make to how Texas sets curriculum standards?