TEXAS – In May, Harlingen Pastor Luis Cabrera asked the Brownsville ISD school board to remove books from school libraries because he believed they might contain offensive content. That same month, Cabrera’s secretary sent an email demanding the removal of more than 600 books from another South Texas school district.

The Mission School District declined to be interviewed but said it has “not currently reconsidered the decision, restricted availability, or removed books from our libraries.”

“If you can’t read the content in a public school board meeting, the book shouldn’t be in a K-12 library,” said Jonathan Schober of Citizens Defend Freedom.

These demands are part of a growing nationwide movement to remove certain books from public school libraries.

“We want to see parents who take an active and committed role in their children’s education,” says Schober.

The number of national book contests increased by 65% ​​from 2022 to 2023. In Texas, school libraries are prohibited from displaying sexually explicit material, but book contests also include LGBTQ and BIPOC stories and topics related to reproductive health.

“Nobody is forced to check out books from the library. But if that and access to those materials is removed, it will limit students’ ability to browse,” said Becky Calzada of the American Association of School Libraries.

School districts have internal processes for removing books, but critics of mass book protests say districts are banning books because of mounting pressure and because they are not following established policies.

“They misrepresent what the book is. They misrepresent where the book is and who has access to read it. And then they say, ‘And our list of over 600 books is full of titles like this,'” said Laney Hawes of the Texas Freedom to Read Project.

Some districts have reportedly removed books from the list immediately, others review books with a group of community members before making a decision, and many use the rubric review system, in which districts remove a book from the list based on a specific point without further context.

“The column doesn’t read the whole book,” Hawes said.

There is hope that lawmakers will revise the state law. Concerned parents want it to include a community-based process for book reviews.