Dan Patrick threatens to lower ratings for school districts with flagged books

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gave Texas school districts an ultimatum on Wednesday: remove graphic books or risk losing funding and moving closer to a state takeover.

“Districts, be aware — next session, if these books are not off the shelf, we will pass a law that will knock your grade letter down one,” Patrick said at a press conference, referring to the state’s A-F accountability rankings. 

The state senate leader was joined by conservative activist Bonnie Wallace, a member of the Christian group Recover America who has traveled across the state to highlight what she and Patrick call violations of a state law that went into effect last year mandating school districts pull books with “indecent,” “profane” or “sexually explicit” content from their libraries. 

The law, Senate Bill 13, also gives elected board members veto power over new purchases. 

Patrick can’t unilaterally change the accountability ratings, but he vowed to push through legislation that would mandate it for districts that violate the law. The ratings are used to measure student academic achievement, and districts with schools that repeatedly receive failing grades are eligible for a takeover by the Texas Education Agency. 

Patrick said “over 2,000 titles of filthy, dirty” books had been flagged under the law, and that it’s on school boards and principals to ensure their removal. When asked if there would be a specific list of what needed to be taken out, Patrick said SB13 is clear about what content violates the law.

“We spend $90 billion a year on public education. On public education,” Patrick said. “We have a responsibility to be sure that what we are using these tax dollars for is what they would expect us to use it for.”

Wallace pointed to her “dirty book list” that contains 2,198 titles ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most “sexually explicit and pervasively vulgar.” The list includes classics like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Color Purple,” and “The Kite Runner,” which have all been consistently challenged in Texas. 

Removing books deemed inappropriate from schools has been a yearslong rallying point for conservatives. Critics say the effort amounts to censorship and disproportionately affects stories centered around characters who are LGBTQ+ or racial minorities.

Patrick shared several books he said were still available in school libraries in some districts, focusing on “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human,” a graphic novel that’s described by its publisher as intended for ages 14 and up. Patrick refused to read the book aloud, saying it was too explicit, but Wallace later shared a copy of quotes that encouraged use of sex toys and watching pornography.

Patrick said even if “Let’s Talk About It” was the only problematic book still on a school’s shelf, that would be enough to lower the accountability ranking under his proposal.

Other books Patrick discussed included “Push” by Sapphire, which was adapted into the popular 2009 movie “Precious,” and tells the story of a young Black student who has been repeatedly sexually abused by her father. Sapphire told NPR in 2009 her novel mirrored girls she encountered while serving as a remedial reading teacher. 

“Our children are in crisis. They need nurturing for their minds,” Wallace said. “They need positive, encouraging content. Why are we filling their minds with dark, demonic content?”