On October 25, Representative Matt Krause, chair of the House General Investigating Committee, sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency and selected school district superintendents notifying them that he is “initiating an inquiry into Texas school district content.” The letter included a list of more than 800 books and directs the districts to report if they have any of these books, and if they do, how many copies of each and how much they paid.

Krause has not released the list of school districts that received the letter, nor has he shared where he obtained the list of books. Some school districts have elected not to respond to the request, while others are compiling the information. It is not clear what Krause plans to do with the information he receives.

Not only does this place a burden on already overwhelmed school districts, but it also raises serious concerns about censorship.

Support for TLA Members
Please complete this brief, seven-question survey, to help us identify additional ways that we can support members dealing with materials challenges and other intellectual freedom issues.

On October 14, TLA hosted a TLA Talks webinar for school and public libraries on preparing for and responding to materials challenges. The recording, and links to materials shared during the presentation are available at txla.org/webinar-archives.

On October 26, TLA issued a statement supporting the freedom to read and opposing censorship activities. The statement was shared widely and to-date, TLA representatives have been interviewed by the Austin American Statesman, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Publisher’s Weekly and the Galveston County News.

Letters have been sent to the Texas Education Agency, members of the House General Investigating Committee, and the Texas State Library & Archives Commission. 
We have reached out to organizations including the Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of School Boards, Texas PTA, ACLU, Association of Texas Professional Educators, and the Media Coalition. Additionally, we are communicating with publishers, and leaders at Texas Schools of Information Science.

On November 1, all TLA members received a TAKE ACTION email asking that they contact their Texas State Representative to share their concerns. To date, 475 emails have been sent to elected officials. If you haven’t sent a message to your Texas Representative yet, now is the time! Communication from constituents is the most effective way to demonstrate the impact this issue is having on those that they serve.

We understand that this is a stressful and challenging time. Please complete the survey, and of course, reach out to us with questions at any time. You can also use TLA Engage to seek feedback or advice from other members.

Sincerely,
Shirley Robinson, CAE
Executive Director
Texas Library Association
3420 Executive Center Dr., Suite 301, Austin, Texas 78731
Phone: 512-328-1518