Plano ISD school board members recently greenlit a School Library Advisory Council, a new body tasked with weighing in on which books belong on library shelves — and which could end up on an expanding list of banned books.
What It Means
Beginning Sept. 1, a new law hands parents and community members a direct role in deciding what students can read. Trustees can appoint members to a School Library Advisory Council, or parents can demand one be formed. While the council will provide guidance, the board retains ultimate authority over library materials
The “parental rights” bill mandates school boards review and approve all library materials — whether purchased by the district or donated — after the materials have been publicly posted for at least 30 days. In an advisory council system, boards are expected to review and weigh the council’s guidance prior to making any changes to library collections or policy rules.
Concerns And Debate
Not all trustees were completely on board with the idea of a new council. Trustee Michael Cook voiced concerns, saying the small group of parents may not represent the district’s thousands of students.
“Somebody's going to say, well, they're all right-wing crazies or left-wing crazies or whatever,” Cook said during the meeting. “My concern is that by bringing in such a small amount of parents, we are not representing the 47,000 kids we have, and it would be better for us just to use our own library staff with the instruction that we've already got from the state to follow the law and other things. I'm not sure why we're adding this extra advisory committee to that.“
History Of Library Controversies
Plano ISD previously faced scrutiny over its library materials. In 2023, a board meeting went viral online after a non-resident read passages from several books, including A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas and Collateral by Ellen Hopkins. Both books were previously reviewed by the district and deemed “relevel senior high only.” The incident sparked renewed attention to concerns over explicit content in school libraries.
In response to the controversy, Superintendent Theresa Williams sent a statement to parents on Oct. 6, 2023, announcing a plan to revise the district’s internal procedures for reviewing library materials.
The new advisory council is the latest step in that ongoing effort to balance community input, student needs and state laws.
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