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Texas State Representative Matt Krause looks over the calendar as lawmakers do business in Austin, Texas in May 2017. Eric Gay / AP Hide caption
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Eric Gay / AP
Texas State Representative Matt Krause looks over the calendar as lawmakers do business in Austin, Texas in May 2017.
Eric Gay / AP
A Texas state lawmaker is asking schools across the state to let him know if they currently have any of the 850 or so books on a list he has compiled, stating that he is targeting materials that “cause students to feel uncomfortable, guilty, or fearful another form of “could cause psychological distress due to race or gender.”
The investigation by State Representative Matt Krause, a Republican, quickly triggered the alarm among book authors and the state teachers’ association. The unusual request, first reported by the Texas Tribune, also caused confusion in school districts about how to respond to such a far-reaching request.
Krause sent a letter on Monday to the Texas Education Agency and school district superintendents across the state, asking each officer to confirm whether their schools have books on their list, along with a detailed statement of where they are and how much money has been spent on them.
Legislators didn’t explain what the next steps might be, but its request mentioned several recent forays to remove books from libraries and classrooms if they focus on topics from transgender identity to critical racial theory. He gave the officers until November 12th to respond.
Krause’s office was not immediately available for comment.
The list includes a book from Amnesty International
The books on Krause’s list include titles like The Great American Everything, a teenage novel by Tim Federle, and “Pink is a Girl Color” … and other stupid things people say, a children’s picture book by Stacy and Erik Drageset.
Nonfiction books are also on the list, from How Prevalent Is Racism in Society? from Peggy J. Parks to Amnesty International’s We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures.
The investigation is a “worrying and political transgression of the classroom” – and it could be illegal, said Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas State Teachers Association.
“Nothing in state law … gives a legislature authority to conduct this type of witch hunt,” Molina said in a statement. She added, “This is an obvious attack on diversity and an attempt to score politically at the expense of our children’s education.”
Books on the list cover sexuality, racism, and US history
Some of the books on Krause’s list explain puberty and procreation. Others discuss pregnancy and abortion, either from a textbook perspective or through fiction. At least 11 of the books focus on the groundbreaking Roe v. Calf. John Irving’s The Cider House Rules, whose main characters include a doctor who performs abortions, is also on the list.
Many books are about race. The list includes An African American and Latinx History of the United States, a well-reviewed title by historian Paul Ortiz of the University of Florida that seeks to add nuance and accuracy to the long-accepted history of America.
The list also includes Mikki Kendall’s Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women That a Movement Forgot – which led to a response from Kendall.
“I’m in good company,” wrote Kendall of Krause’s list. She shares the room with two books by Ta-Nehisi Coates; others are William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner.
Other authors are also responding to the request, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Krause is currently trapped in a crowded main race
Krause made the motion through the General Investigating Committee of the Texas House, which he chairs. However, political observers in Texas note that Krause also has a nationwide office in mind. He is one of several Republicans challenging Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is seeking re-election in the party’s primary election next March.
By bringing up the subject of books, Krause also raises his own profile by making a political statement, Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston, told the Tribune.
“He’s not very well known nationwide so has to fly a pretty high Conservative flag to get attention,” said Rottinghaus.
The Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives describes the investigation as a waste of time
Krause’s letter to the school principals cites the committee’s authority “to examine all matters which the committee deems necessary for the information of the legislature or for the well-being and protection of citizens”.
But the panel’s Democratic vice chairman says the investigation is a waste of taxpayers ‘money and educators’ time. State Rep. Victoria Neave says it is an attempt to cover up facts and exploit a wedge issue for political gain.
“Republicans are glossing over our history at a time when colored communities fueled explosive population growth in our diverse state,” Neave said via Twitter.
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https://www.npr.org/2021/10/28/1050013664/texas-lawmaker-matt-krause-launches-inquiry-into-850-books
