After Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Association of School Boards asking them to take action on removing pornography from school libraries, the association says Abbott’s directive would be better placed in the hands of an actual government entity—such as the Texas Education Agency.
Brief Background
In response to a growing number of Texas parents becoming alarmed about some pornographic books and explicit content found in public school libraries, Abbott submitted a letter to TASB’s executive director on Monday, alleging that members of TASB “have an obligation to determine the extent to which such materials exist or are used in our schools and to remove any such content.”
Criticism Over Weak Attempt
Upon distributing the original letter by Abbott, Republican State Rep. Jeff Cason (Bedford) took to Twitter to criticize Abbott’s approach as one that was “not really going to accomplish much, but it does look good on Twitter.”
“This makes a very strong case for banning taxpayer funded lobbying!” said Mark Ramsey, a former member of the State Republican Executive Committee. “Does the taxpayer funded TASB have more control over Texas schools than the Governor? Time for another special session!”
This makes a very strong case for banning taxpayer funded lobbying! Does the taxpayer funded TASB have more control over Texas schools than the Governor? Time for another special session!
— Mark S Ramsey, P.E. (@MarkRamseySREC7) November 2, 2021
TASB Responds
In response, TASB Executive Director Dan Troxell said:
“We felt it was critically important to respond to your letter to clarify the work we do here at TASB, clarify the primary responsibilities of school boards, and respectfully note that regulatory agencies like the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and State Board of Education (SBOE) are more appropriate venues for the type of monitoring that you ask for in your letter.”
As of this publication, Abbott has not publicly responded.
