Senate Bill 13 has been passed by the Texas Senate. The bill establishes advisory boards of parents appointed by school board members to determine which books belong in school libraries. J.D Salinger’s “Catcher and the Rye” has long been targeted, and the bill comes as a threat, risking the accessibility of the book in Texas school libraries.
According to the American Library Association (ALA), in 2023 book challenges across the state surged, with an unprecedented 4,240 titles under scrutiny. Marking a 65% increase from the previous year. Texas was notably prominent in this movement, with 49 attempts to restrict access to books, encompassing 1,470 challenged titles. This trend has positioned Texas as a leader in the movement to remove books from school libraries, particularly those exploring themes of identity, rebellion, and mental health. Notably, The Catcher in the Rye continues to be a primary target of censorship due to its portrayal of teenage defiance, mental health challenges, and sexual themes, as reported by The San Antonio Observer.
The bill now moves to the Texas House for further consideration, after the Senate’s approval. The establishment that comes with SB 13 is part of a larger national initiative by Republican lawmakers aimed at increasing parental authority over educational curricula and reading materials.
“Texas parents expect their child’s school library to have educational content, not sexual content or woke ideologies meant to indoctrinate our students. These types of books have no place in our schools and must not be tolerated,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said.
A report by PEN America research reflected that Texas ranked third nationally for book bans in the 2023-2024 school year, with 538 books removed across 12 school districts.
House Bill 900, which went into effect on September 1, 2023, is largely credited with triggering the current surge in book bans. The law requires school library vendors to evaluate books based on their sexual content, leading to the recall of those deemed sexually explicit. Critics argue that this policy unfairly targets classic literature and mirrors broader tendencies toward information censorship—a practice often associated with totalitarian regimes suppressing intellectual discourse.
Legislative efforts to restrict books have intensified with Senate Bill 412 and House Bill 267. These measures criminalize educators for supplying students with books that contain sexually explicit content—even if the material holds educational or literary value—with violations carrying a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
Individuals who provide education material to students risk being targeted and charged with providing sexually explicit content to minors, even if the content was intended for scientific, educational, or governmental purposes. However, SB 412 and HB 267 would be putting teachers and librarians at risk of prosecution.
