Texas Legislators Making Criminals Of Librarians And Teachers

When it comes to the "criminal element," rarely, if ever, do you imagine a nefarious librarian. If some Texas legislators have their way, that could change. There is a group of bills making their way through the Texas House of Representatives and Senate that would do just that.

Texas Bills Put Teachers And Librarians In The Crosshairs

This has been a legislative session for the ages in Texas. It's been wild in Austin, from the war over THC to whether or not we should rename the New York Strip to the Texas strip. Now, librarians and teachers find themselves in the legislative crosshairs.

READ MORE: Texas Legislators Arguing Over Renaming The Texas Strip

Numerous bills in the House and Senate target books and materials in libraries and schools. The bills all state that the intent is to keep explicit and offensive materials out of the hands of minors.

If teachers and librarians are found guilty of distributing these books or materials, they can face massive fines and, in some cases, it's been reported that they could face up to 10 years behind bars.

SB 412 has already passed the Senate and will be debated in the House before potentially landing on Gov. Abbott's desk to be signed. The bill was sponsored by seven Republicans, and passed with an overwhelming majority.

Critics Of Texas Bills Targeting Teachers And Librarians Speak Out

These bills, as you might imagine, aren't without their critics. In the case of SB 88, the language of the bill makes it so that as much as a single word in an entire work could be enough for any member of the community to turn in the librarian or teacher to authorities.

This is a common worry among critics. Most of the bills proposed make it so that almost anyone can "blow the whistle" on a librarian or teacher over anything that they personally feel is offensive. These bills also remove some current protections for educators.

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They remove the exemption for scientific, political, or artistic merit. Critics worry how this will affect everything from the study of classic literature to the study of anatomy in science classes. These bills could completely reshape education in the Lone Star State.

The Texas Freedom To Read Project has a full list of bills currently making their way through the Texas House and Senate. You can view it here.