TikTok user and ELA teacher @mjmarksthepage shared a viral TikTok detailing how new Texas education laws have led her to remove her classroom library out of fear of getting fired.
Teachers go through a lot of challenges (some even endure physical violence) while trying to educate the future of America.
But according to this Texas reading teacher, one of her biggest challenges at the moment isn’t from the students — instead, it stems from the education laws in her state that were recently passed at both the state and federal levels.
The laws are aimed at preventing alleged “DEI” (which, for the record, stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives in schools. What exactly constitutes “DEI” seems to be defined broadly by the federal and state guidelines.
The teacher noted that it’s hard to define exactly what makes something DEI, which leaves the law up to broad interpretation by school officials.
“You could say that something like Moana, a Disney movie, promotes DEI, if you really wanted to,” she pointed out.
The teacher explained that if the school catches any teacher engaging in "anything to do with DEI," it's grounds for "immediate termination."
She went on to add that if school administrators “assist” students in any way, such as calling a student by a “preferred name” or a “preferred pronoun,” then they can be immediately terminated.
The strict anti-DEI laws also extended to school libraries, as she explained that in Texas, the school librarian is no longer even allowed to buy books for the school library.
“I’m going to take a sip and let that sink in for a minute,” she said in her video, pausing to take a sip of her beverage. “Our librarian is no longer allowed to buy books for the library.”
In Texas, instead of teachers or librarians deciding what books to buy or bring into the classroom, a "committee" decides what books pass muster for the school.
In her video, the teacher appears on the verge of tears as she explains that the approval committees mean that, despite being an ELA teacher, she is no longer allowed to buy or stock books for her own classroom.
She noted that teachers wanting to have books in their classrooms really had two choices: either ensure all materials go through the twice-yearly committee or remove books from their classrooms altogether.
The teacher expressed fear of being accused of DEI or fired and shared that she was making the decision to remove her classroom library.
“I’m a reading teacher, English teacher, sixth grade, and I’m making the decision that I do not feel safe enough as a teacher to have a classroom library anymore.”
The teacher pointed out that even with her best efforts, a parent could accuse her of promoting DEI because of a classroom book.
In addition to the anti-DEI initiatives, the teacher added that some of the new laws gave parents the right to submit a form specifying exactly what types of books they do not want their children to have access to at school.
“Someone could go in and they could say, ‘You know what? I don’t like the idea of A Diary of a Wimpy Kid, so I don’t want my kid to read any of those books,’ and they’ll submit that form,” she explained.
The challenge, of course, arises when you have 150 students and an open classroom library — there’s no checkout system — and a teacher afraid of getting fired.
Even if she went through the work of ensuring every single book was approved by the “committee,” a parent could still come through and accuse her of DEI tactics through a book they don’t approve of.
“I still run the risk of something being DEI-related, of something assisting someone with feeling good enough about themselves, or any kind of book that a parent decides that they don’t want their child to want their child to read, and if I have any one of those books, then that could be immediate termination,” the teacher noted.
Ultimately, the teacher decided the risk was too great and that the safest action would be to remove her classroom library entirely.
With the harsh consequences for teachers, broad interpretations of what could be considered “DEI,” and opportunities for parents to police their children’s reading choices on a very specific level, the teacher ended her video saying that she was just too scared to keep books in her classroom anymore.
“And that breaks my heart, because as a reading teacher, how am I going to teach them to love to read if I can’t have books in my classroom?” she said, her voice breaking, adding:
“[But] I can’t have books in my classroom because I’m so afraid of the laws that are being put into place…”
“I am heartbroken along with you,” wrote a commenter on her follow-up video. “These poor kids.”
