The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 13, a piece of legislation that would significantly alter who decides which books remain in the school libraries across Texas. This bill expands upon House Bill 290 by shifting the responsibility for choosing books from librarians to school boards and allowing parents to have a more active role, as reported by CBS Austin. The decision follows a report from PEN America citing 538 instances of book bans in the state during the 2023-2024 school year.

In the wake of the Senate's 23 to 8 vote in favor of the bill, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick issued a statement, "Texas parents expect their child's school library to have educational content, not sexual content or woke ideologies meant to indoctrinate our students," explaining the need for books that are deemed age-appropriate. This perspective is shared by parents such as Andres Morales, who believes that certain subjects should be learned at home rather than at school. "If you're, as a parent saying, 'yeah, go ahead and learn about violence', then I guess at home they can learn about it. In school, you're there for a learning experience," Morales told FOX San Antonio.

Opposition to the bill comes from parents who place their trust in school librarians' expertise. For example, Lindsay Miller values the selection provided by her children's librarians and sees the variety of books as a tool to develop reading skills and foster a passion for reading. "I've been to my children's library before. I've met the librarians," she said. "I think that every book that they could potentially bring home will encourage a love for reading, and help with their reading skills," Miller expressed to CBS Austin.

While the debate around Senate Bill 13 continues, and testimonies from both sides of the issue are heard, the bill has been forwarded to the Texas House. A vote has yet to be scheduled as of now, leaving the future of the legislation and the contents of Texas school libraries in a state of uncertainty.