Internal records suggest New Braunfels Independent School District has taken far more books out of student reach than it has told the public. The gap between the district’s official tally and documents shared with reporters has rattled parents, authors and librarians as campus collections are scanned for compliance with new state rules. All of this is unfolding while the district continues a sweeping, campus-by-campus review of secondary library materials.
The district’s public list shows roughly 450 titles that have been pulled, cleared, “aged up” to older grades or placed under review. Reporters who examined additional public records say that number falls short of what has actually been removed from circulation. As reported by KSAT, an outside group that reviewed those records also concluded that NBISD’s posted count appears low.
District's review and public list
New Braunfels ISD has published a large “Library Materials Under Review” table on its website and says it is using internal tools along with third-party vendors to scan collections for Senate Bill 13 compliance. The school board temporarily shut off student access to secondary libraries last fall while that review took place, and the district says parents can challenge any title through a formal reconsideration process. According to New Braunfels ISD, each book will ultimately be labeled either SB13 Compliant or SB13 Non-Compliant.
Titles flagged so far
The district’s page states, “Once the review is complete, each book will be designated as either SB13 Compliant or SB13 Non-Compliant,” and the public tables reflect a wide range of material, from classic novels to contemporary young adult and graphic titles. Notable books listed include The Bluest Eye, All Boys Aren’t Blue, The Handmaid’s Tale and Out of Darkness, among others. Staff members report that some titles have been shifted into older-grade catalogs, others have been marked non-compliant, and many remain in limbo while committees weigh context and age appropriateness. For campus-by-campus details and the district’s full table, visit New Braunfels ISD.
State law and tools districts use
Senate Bill 13, passed in the 2025 legislative session, moved significant control over school library materials to local school boards and parent-majority advisory bodies and created a formal challenge process that can pull a book from student access while it is under review. Those changes, along with newly adopted rules to carry out the law, have led some districts to rely on scanning software and vendor services to identify potentially non-compliant titles. For background on SB13, see The Texas Tribune, and for reporting on vendors and public records that show districts using such tools, see the Houston Chronicle.
Authors and librarians push back
Authors whose works appear on NBISD’s lists argue that pulling these titles erases important context and shuts down classroom conversations. Writers including Ellen Hopkins and Ashley Pérez told reporters they believe their books belong in high school libraries, not boxed up in storage. Librarians and free speech advocates warn that broad interpretations of what counts as “indecent” or “profane,” combined with automated vendor flagging, can easily lead to overreach and a chilling effect on what is purchased or kept on shelves. Those reactions and on-the-record interviews are detailed in earlier reporting by KSAT.
Legal implications
State rules that implement SB13 require districts to pull challenged materials from student access while a review committee considers them, and they set a 90-day deadline for a recommendation. Final decisions must be made at an open school board meeting. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s adopted rules also require districts to give the public access to library catalogs and to spell out parental access plans in their collection policies, tightening how districts document and handle book challenges. The administrative details are laid out in the adopted rules published in the Texas Register.
What to watch
Upcoming New Braunfels ISD board meetings and any formal book challenges will ultimately decide which titles return to student shelves and which are permanently removed. Community members who want to track what happens next can monitor the district’s posted review lists and board agendas as internal findings are converted into final decisions. For background on the law that launched this review, see The Texas Tribune.
