Texas Lieutenant Governor clarifies book removal directive

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has clarified that his recent directive to remove over 2,000 titles from public school libraries was not intended to include books regarding the Holocaust.

Following a month of controversy sparked by a press conference where Patrick and activist Bonnie Wallace of Recover America threatened schools with the loss of state funding, Patrick stated that students must learn about the Holocaust. He specifically noted that books such as ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ should remain in curricula.

Patrick clarified that his initiative is focused on “age-inappropriate, sexually explicit books” rather than historical texts. He also noted that, under current law, local communities maintain the right to make their own decisions regarding their public school libraries.