Texas (WBAP/KLIF) – School libraries across Texas have a big job ahead over the next couple of months now that Governor Abbott has signed HB900, otherwise known as The READER Act.
The goal of the legislation authored by Rep. Jared Patterson to “keep pornographic materials away from all children from Kindergarten through 12th grade.”
Though a number of school districts across Texas, including Frisco have pushed back, Rep. Patterson told WFAA-TV that the bill is “model legislation for the rest of the country.”
Meantime the director of the Texas Library Association [TLA] has expressed concern about the impact will have of librarians and their ability to serve the schools. Shirley Robinson told the news outlet the the law would cause “chaos and confusion” for school librarians across the state without “clear guidelines” for implementation.
Patterson responded by saying that he believes the TLA is an “enemy to the children in the state.”
Under the new law, “sexually explicit” books will be taken off shelves, and “sexually relevant” books will go through a first-of-its-kind ratings system before its made available to students and will require parental consent.
The law takes effect on September 1, 2023.
(Copyright 2023 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from WFAA-TV.)