In school board elections across Texas this past weekend, voters ousted dozens of incumbents who had championed book bans, delivering a decisive rebuke to the conservative movement that has dominated education policy in recent years. In suburban districts from the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Houston and beyond, candidates who opposed censorship and pledged to support student rights and educational integrity prevailed.
The election results reflect a shift in voter sentiment, with grassroots-led campaigns overcoming powerful right-wing organizations like Patriot Mobile and Texans for Educational Freedom. According to Frank Strong, co-director of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, 38 out of 51 candidates either backed by pro-censorship groups or aligned with their agendas were defeated in school board races across the state.
“Okay, I’ll say it: Tonight has been an absolute DRUBBING for Texas book banners,” Strong wrote on Bluesky on Saturday night. “Texas voters stood up and said clearly that they’re sick of trustees demonizing teachers. They rejected the absurd policing of libraries & books that has plagued our state for years.”
Texas has served as a national epicenter for school-based censorship. In the 2021–2022 school year, the state banned over 800 books—more than any other state in the country. The following year, another 625 titles were banned. These efforts have overwhelmingly targeted books with LGBTQ themes, works by authors of color, and stories featuring diverse characters. A 2024 peer-reviewed study highlighted that books by women of color are among the most frequent targets of these bans.
In Mansfield Independent School District (ISD), located just outside Dallas and Fort Worth, three conservative school board members—including the board president and board secretary—were unseated. Ana-Alicia Horn, a data management professional who ran on a platform opposing censorship, defeated incumbent board president Keziah Valdes Farrar with more than 60 percent of the vote. Farrar had been backed by Patriot Mobile, a far-right mobile phone company that has funded numerous conservative candidates across Texas.
Mansfield ISD had slightly relaxed its book ban policy in 2023 following significant public backlash, but the new version still allowed for a school board-appointed committee to review and potentially remove books based on resident complaints. For many voters, the continued restriction of access to books remained a central issue.
In a victory message following her win, Horn wrote, “Thank you to every voter, volunteer, and supporter who believed in a vision rooted in transparency, collaboration, and putting students first. I’m excited to get to work on behalf of ALL families in our district, and I promise to lead with integrity, accountability, and heart.”
Similar electoral shifts occurred in other parts of the state. In Katy ISD, just outside Houston, incumbent board president Victor Perez lost his seat to James Cross, a former school principal. Perez had pushed for the removal of numerous books and backed a controversial policy requiring schools to notify parents if their children asked teachers to use different pronouns—effectively outing students without their consent. These policies drew condemnation from advocates who warned they could cause serious harm to LGBTQ youth.
Cross, who ran on a message of unity and experience as an educator, struck a markedly different tone. “My hope is that you see a shift (from politics) pretty quickly,” he said after his victory.
In Fort Bend ISD, Rick Garcia, a board member who had supported what was described as one of the most restrictive book ban policies in the state, was defeated by Afhi Charania, a business owner and community organizer. Charania made opposition to book bans a cornerstone of her campaign.
“Book banning doesn’t protect students. It limits them,” Charania stated on her campaign site. “These policies risk isolating vulnerable students, compromising educator autonomy, and prioritizing control over compassion.”
Strong, who has covered Texas school board elections for years, observed the trend across districts large and small. “I’ve been covering Texas school board elections for seven cycles, and as I have documented over and over again, book bans, attacks on educators and public schools, and attempts to target LGBTQ students do not fare well at the polls,” he wrote on his Substack page. “Voters across Texas clearly and consistently punished the people who have been restricting students’ reading and learning. They delivered a message: Texans are sick of book bans, sick of attacks on educators and librarians, sick of leaders waging culture war battles at the expense of good governance.”
While the weekend marked a significant victory for opponents of censorship, the legislative fight continues. On Tuesday, the Texas House Committee on Public Education is set to consider Senate Bill 13 (SB13), a measure that would standardize and significantly restrict the process by which school librarians can purchase new books.
According to the Texas Freedom to Read Project, SB13 would require librarians to consult with a local advisory council that meets only twice per year, publicly post purchase orders for at least 30 days, and obtain school board approval in a public meeting before acquiring any books. These burdensome procedures are already in place in some districts and have effectively halted new book acquisitions altogether.
The group warns that adopting these practices statewide would be “devastating” not only for school libraries but also for English language arts classrooms, which rely heavily on access to a wide range of literature.
The movement against censorship is gaining momentum beyond Texas. In Florida, a bill that would have broadly redefined “harmful to minors” content and barred districts from considering the literary, artistic, or scientific value of such materials failed to pass last week. The Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP), a grassroots group led by parent volunteers, helped defeat the bill through early engagement with policymakers.
In a statement posted to Bluesky, the FFTRP wrote: “Our small-but-mighty team of parent volunteers, in concert with impactful advocacy partners, held early meetings with critical stakeholders and policymakers before bills were even filed, ensuring those in power knew our concerns and understood what their constituents were saying on the ground—that districts were forced into overcompliance on book removal policies due to fear of fiscal repercussions that could hinder student success, and that very few parents actually support restricted access to literary content.”
Despite this momentum, advocates caution that the battle is far from over. As SB13 moves forward in Texas, those who oppose censorship are urging continued vigilance and action to ensure the voices of students, teachers, and communities remain protected in the education system.
To join The Freedom to Read Project is a 501(c)(3), an organization that advocates to protect student access to information and books in our public schools and communities, click here.
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