As activists, lawmakers call on public schools to remove books from libraries, a West Texas district is standing by its library council

The pressure came from multiple directions. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened legislative action against Texas school districts that keep books he and others consider harmful to students under Senate Bill 13. On Aug. 17, a group of Lubbock residents joined members of Turning Point USA and Citizens for Education Reform to demand the district remove specific titles, including "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl," a 2012 young adult novel about a high school senior and a terminally ill classmate.

The board did not budge. Trustees affirmed the review system already in place, built around a parent-led council that evaluates challenged books according to the process established by state law. That structure was designed precisely for moments like this, and Lubbock ISD is choosing to let it work rather than respond to outside pressure with blanket removals.

For families across the district, this means the books currently on shelves stay there unless the council's own review process says otherwise. Parents who want a title reconsidered still have a formal path to challenge it.

Texas has more than 1,000 independent school districts, and how each one handles this pressure is its own call to make.