Parents Gain Power Over School Library Books In Bell County

Changes are on the way in Bell County school libraries.

Parental Control

Senate Bill 13 goes into effect on September 1st after being passed by the Texas legislature last spring. The legislation gives parents more control over the books in school libraries in order to reflect community values. If a book is challenged by 50 parents or 10 percent of the student body, the legislation allows for parents to form a local parents committee. Belton ISD created a committee as soon as the bill passed. Belton ISD school board members will choose parents to be part of the committee.

Prohibited Books

A portion of the legislation lays out the types of content that will not be allowed in school libraries. Prohibited material includes books with language that is “harmful, indecent or profane.” a 30-day public viewing period for books being considered by the district before approval.

Bell County Schools

Bell County superintendent Dr. Bobby Ott says the board will approve the books in the library. The book list will be reviewed several times a year to ensure it is in compliance. In addition to using AI to flag problematic books, teachers will wait for 30 days before making a new book available for children. The last book challenge in Bell County schools was in 2018.

School Book Controversy

Over the past five years, parents have taken a larger role in the content available to kids in public school libraries. The move to oversee the books available to kids at school began during the covid epidemic when parents became aware of the content being presented to their kids via virtual learning at home. Parents were outraged to learn that many school libraries contained books with graphic descriptions of sexual acts.