Dan Patrick: “We're coming for the books” in school libraries - The Texas Tribune

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick vowed Wednesday to punish Texas public schools, including those in Lubbock, that do not remove books he deems graphic from their libraries. Patrick announced plans to pass legislation specifically designed to penalize non-compliant schools. This penalty involves knocking them down a notch in the states annual school performance ratings. These ratings allow the state to seize control of underperforming districts. At a news conference at the Texas Capitol, Patrick was flanked by easels. These easels displayed printed covers of books he found obscene. The lieutenant governor stated that school boards and administrators have not been following a 2025 law. This law aims at weeding out lewd books from the shelves across Texas. The issue impacts more than 9,000 campuses and some 5.5 million schoolchildren statewide.

For regular people in Lubbock, from parents to educators, this means a direct state-level push to change local school library collections. School districts that choose not to remove books risk a lowered performance rating, which could lead to state intervention in local governance. This creates pressure for administrators to comply or face significant consequences for their entire district. Patrick made his stance clear, declaring, "Its the law and we expect you to follow the law. So were coming for the books."