This is a challenging time to be a school librarian.  Librarians will return to school in fall 2023, facing a new law that will change the school library landscape forever. School librarians have been caught in a debate over books and what students should have access to in Texas public school libraries for several years. The READER Act (Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources Act) requires Instructional Materials vendors that want to sell instructional materials to Texas schools to assign every title that describes or portrays sexual conduct to one of two categories: sexually explicit or sexually relevant. Our challenge as school districts and libraries is to monitor TEA's legal interpretation/implementation of this law and put policies in place to develop our collections while staying within the law. ESC personnel are already working tirelessly to help your district transition smoothly to this different type of library space. 

Always remember that the goal of the school library is to create a magical library experience that enhances the school experience for the students and helps them become life-long learners. If we have collection development policies in place and are following them to curate materials that reflect our communities, I hope parents would support that. Parents need to be involved in their children’s education. They should have a right to ask what their children are reading in schools and know how to do that effectively. School libraries facilitate learning in a big way and transparency and communication can only strengthen trust in and support for the system.  I hope you will use the valuable links on this page to access important resources and information.  Please feel free to contact me anytime with your questions or concerns.  

Elizabeth (Betty) Potter 

325-481-4076 

elizabeth.potter@esc15.net