Update:
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.
Books about race, sexuality spark investigation into Texas schools by a House committee
A Fort Worth Republican wants to know what books and curriculum are in districts.
Rep. Matt Krause launched an investigation into school library books and curriculum just months after Texas lawmakers sought to ban the presence of critical race theory from public campuses.
Acting as the Chairman of the Texas House Committee on General Investigating, Krause wrote to Lily Laux, deputy commissioner of school programs for the Texas Education Agency, and unnamed superintendents on Monday with news of the investigation.
Attached to Krause’s letter was a 16-page list of books published from 1969 to 2021 that included “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates and “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander. Other books on the list deal with issues of race, gender identity and sexuality.
The Fort Worth Republican asked school leaders to identify where copies of the listed books were located in school libraries and classrooms and the amount of money districts had spent on them.
He also asked districts to identify any other books or content that address human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, or any material that “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress” because of their race or sex.
Krause asked for a response to his questions by Nov. 12, although it isn’t clear how the investigation will proceed. It’s not clear which superintendents received the letter.
Rep. Victoria Neave, a Dallas Democrat who is vice chair of the investigating committee, said no vote was taken on sending the letter. She learned about it from a local school district official.
Neave called the move “politically motivated to support their own campaigns.”
”Our focus should be really on the children, the parents and the school districts and allowing them to do the work that’s best — and make the decisions that are best — for our kids,” she said. “That is ensuring we have historically accurate books, that the children learn about our history, and that we don’t whitewash history.”
Teacher groups immediately bashed the investigation.
“Rep. Krause’s letter demanding that school superintendents provide him with lists of books dealing with certain subjects on their school bookshelves is disturbing and political overreach into the classroom,” Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina said in a statement, calling the investigation a witch hunt. “What will Rep. Krause propose next? Burning books he and a handful of parents find objectionable?”
Shannon Holmes, the executive director of the Association of Texas Professional Educators called Krause’s investigation a “Frankenstein monster” driven by culture wars.
Krause could not be reached for comment immediately, and his letter did not give a specific reason for why the committee launched an investigation.
Last month, Krause announced a bid for attorney general and joined the crowded field of Republicans looking to oust the embattled officeholder Ken Paxton. Krause, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, is painting himself as a strong conservative alternative to Paxton.
Krause was first elected to the Texas House in 2012. It’s his first year chairing the General Investigating Committee, which is typically known for looking into alleged misconduct by lawmakers or their staff. Much of the committee’s work is kept confidential.
The investigation comes months after state lawmakers passed laws seeking to ban “critical race theory” from the classroom. Educators decried the legislation as vague and prone to misinterpretation and cautioned the theory is not taught in K-12 classrooms.
In recent months, school boards have been embroiled in debates over curriculum and books appropriate for students.
A number of school districts removed books from their libraries or halted optional book clubs until more specific guidance is drafted.
After a Richardson mother complained about “strong language and sexual content” in several books on her daughter’s optional book club list, the district responded by pausing classroom activities that involve teacher-selected reading options. Recently, Carroll ISD trustees voted to reprimand a teacher after parents complained that a fourth-grade student brought home “This Book is Anti-Racist.”
The focus on books started emerging months ago when Republican lawmakers repeatedly held up “Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness,” a story about racial justice and racism told from a white child’s perspective. Legislators brandished copies of the book as justification for passing new state laws that restrict how teachers can discuss racism and “controversial” topics in the classroom.
Staff writer Allie Morris contributed to this story.
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