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Frank Strong

@frankstrong.bsky.social
7.2K followers 611 following 917 posts

Teacher. Publisher of the Book-Loving Texan’s Guides to School Board Elections. Co-founder of Texas Freedom to Read Project.

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Reposted by Frank Strong
Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Christin's wrong about almost everything, but right about this: This committee hearing matters & real Texas parents need to let lawmakers know the effects of SB12 & SB13. @txfreedomread.bsky.social will be there with a TON of data about the damage these laws have done. Bring your stories!
Tweet from book burner Texas Republican official Christin Bentley that reads: 

“The Texas Senate Committee on Education will convene on Wednesday, October 7, at 8:00 a.m. to address several interim charges, including monitoring the implementation of legislation passed last session. The hearing specifically includes SB 571, SB 12, and SB 13, all of which contain important protections for Texas children and parental rights.

I expect there will be significant testimony regarding SB 13, which strengthened Texas' mandatory school library standards, established local school library advisory councils, and expanded parental oversight of school library materials.

SB 13 was an important step forward in our efforts to stop the sexualization of children and keep inappropriate materials out of school libraries. But passing legislation is only part of the work. Implementation and enforcement matter.”Second part of a tweet from book burning GOP official that reads: 

“We have already seen inconsistencies in implementation across the state, including districts that appear unwilling to fully comply with the law.

If you have been involved in auditing school libraries, filing local book challenges, serving on a library advisory council, or documenting problems with your district's implementation of SB 13, I strongly encourage you to participate in this hearing and share what you have seen.

You can testify in person or provide written testimony to members of the Senate Education Committee. Public testimony at the hearing will be limited to two minutes per person, and those submitting written testimony at the hearing are instructed to bring 10 copies with their name on each copy.

This is an important opportunity for legislators to hear directly from parents and community members about what is actually happening in Texas school libraries and where implementation of SB 13 may need to be strengthened.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026
8:00 a.m.
Texas Capitol, E1.028
Senate Committee on Education”
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Reposted by Frank Strong
Leila Green Little @ifightforbooks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Indeed, we need your help! If you’re a Texas librarian who has a bone to pick with the state lege over SB13, let @txfreedomread.bsky.social or me or @freadomfighters.bsky.social know so we can get that message to the legislators! Anonymity is fine.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Christin's wrong about almost everything, but right about this: This committee hearing matters & real Texas parents need to let lawmakers know the effects of SB12 & SB13. @txfreedomread.bsky.social will be there with a TON of data about the damage these laws have done. Bring your stories!
Tweet from book burner Texas Republican official Christin Bentley that reads: 

“The Texas Senate Committee on Education will convene on Wednesday, October 7, at 8:00 a.m. to address several interim charges, including monitoring the implementation of legislation passed last session. The hearing specifically includes SB 571, SB 12, and SB 13, all of which contain important protections for Texas children and parental rights.

I expect there will be significant testimony regarding SB 13, which strengthened Texas' mandatory school library standards, established local school library advisory councils, and expanded parental oversight of school library materials.

SB 13 was an important step forward in our efforts to stop the sexualization of children and keep inappropriate materials out of school libraries. But passing legislation is only part of the work. Implementation and enforcement matter.”Second part of a tweet from book burning GOP official that reads: 

“We have already seen inconsistencies in implementation across the state, including districts that appear unwilling to fully comply with the law.

If you have been involved in auditing school libraries, filing local book challenges, serving on a library advisory council, or documenting problems with your district's implementation of SB 13, I strongly encourage you to participate in this hearing and share what you have seen.

You can testify in person or provide written testimony to members of the Senate Education Committee. Public testimony at the hearing will be limited to two minutes per person, and those submitting written testimony at the hearing are instructed to bring 10 copies with their name on each copy.

This is an important opportunity for legislators to hear directly from parents and community members about what is actually happening in Texas school libraries and where implementation of SB 13 may need to be strengthened.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026
8:00 a.m.
Texas Capitol, E1.028
Senate Committee on Education”
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yes. This is actual obscenity.
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Reposted by Frank Strong
kelly jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Florida officials demand that public schools and character schools throughout the state begin banning books proactively or face punishment. There's no Miller Test here. The state claims they have no list, but they point to several lists for schools to begin with. bookriot.com/florida-educ...
bookriot.com
"Weed On Purpose, Not Only After a Fight": Florida Official Demands More School Book Bans
Florida's Commissioner of Education is demanding all public and charter schools in the state proactively ban books–or face punishment.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Tip for my followers in town for TribFest: Churchrow Tejas BBQ. Get the steak tampiqueña. Or anything on the menu. www.churchrowbbq.com
churchrowbbq.com
Churchrow Tejas Bbq | Original Tex Mex BBQ Austin | 1521 W Anderson Ln., Austin, TX, USA
Churchrow Tejas BBQ in Austin blends Texas slow-smoked barbecue with vibrant Mexican-inspired flavors, featuring tender brisket, tacos, handmade tortillas, and bold agave cocktails in a community-root...
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Reposted by Frank Strong
kelly jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Episode Two of my limited-run podcast Liberating Lit lands tomorrow. Catch up with episode one, featuring @tasslyn.bsky.social, today. Grab it on the podcast website or whever you tune into your pods: www.liberatinglit.com/episodes/epi...
liberatinglit.com
Episode One: Tasslyn Magnusson — Liberating Lit
Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson has been tracking book bans since 2021. But her work is much more than simply counting–it’s helping motivate other people nationwide to get to work protecting the right to read. ...
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TX FReadom Fighters @freadomfighters.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This is why two of us from @thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social carried books about the Holocaust on the Emmy stage. Book banning has jumped the shark and it is time for us to stop it.
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Texas Freedom to Read Project @txfreedomread.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Texas Senate Bill 13 allows anyone (including Dan Patrick and Bonnie Wallace) to formally challenge books in the school district in which they live. Every district should respond to every request or demand to remove any library book, by following their EFB Local library materials policy.
Still screenshot of Bonnie Wallace and Dan Patrick from August press conference over library books they falsely claim are “illegal”. Dan Patrick is holding the book “Do Animals Fall in Love”
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This is such an important thread! We're seeing (some) districts removing every book from the ridiculous 2200-book list mentioned by Dan Patrick in his "We're coming for the books" press conference. Districts need to know that the law does NOT require that.
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Reposted by Frank Strong
James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
HOOK EM HORNS
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Reposted by Frank Strong
That Librarian: Amanda Jones @librarianjones.com · 09/09/2026
“Thanks to the Emmy® awards for celebrating and honoring this documentary and librarians across the country who are fighting against censorship on the frontlines of democracy.” For the librarians. #Invictus ilovelibraries.org/article/the-...
ilovelibraries.org
'The Librarians' Documentary Wins an Emmy
Filmmaker Kim Snyder’s documentary about public and school librarians in Texas, Florida, and other states who unite to combat book banning in the United States was awarded a 2026 Emmy® for Exceptional...
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Really appreciate the opportunity my friend Michael Boyle gave me to write about something other than book bans and politics: College football! This was fun. soundofsheersilence.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-...
soundofsheersilence.blogspot.com
The 2026 Northwestern Bonus Essay, Featuring Frank Strong
Northwestern has a bye week this week, after their 34-18 victory over South Dakota State . Instead of an essay, I am going to include an int...
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Reposted by Frank Strong
School Library Journal @slj.com · 10/09/2026
An Emmy Win and Powerful Moment of Collective Joy and Resistance www.slj.com/story/An-Emm...
slj.com
An Emmy Win and Powerful Moment of Collective Joy and Resistance
The Librarians documentary won the Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking, and the filmmaking team brought the librarians on stage with them. The librarians, of course, brought books.
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Leah @leah.myatproto.social · 07/09/2026
This is how Matilda turns into Carrie.
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Martha Hickson @sassylibrarian.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
People call us librarians heroes. But who are our heroes? The students, parents, & community members who stood by our side, spoke up for us & continue the fight today. I wouldn’t have survived without support from my students, family & community. Thank you, all 👏🥰🙌 @thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social
Graphic celebrating the Emmy Award for The Librarians, a film by Kim A. Snyder. Thank you to our inspiring patriots:

Weston Briwn
Adrienne Quinn Martin
Courtney Gore
Reverend Dove
Laney Hawes
Chris Tackett
Kennedy Tackett
Lou Whiting
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Martha Hickson @sassylibrarian.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
“The women in The Librarians were willing to tell those stories publicly. They let people see what was happening inside schools, libraries, board meetings, and communities. They showed what this fight actually looked like for the people living through it … That took an incredible amount of courage.”
aischoollibrarian.substack.com
The Librarians Won an Emmy. And This One Means Something.
For those of us who lived through the attacks on librarians, watching these stories receive national recognition feels deeply personal.
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Texas Freedom to Read Project @txfreedomread.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Pull up a chair! 2 weeks ago TX Lt. Governor Dan Patrick held a “press conference”(campaign stunt) w/TX book banning activist Bonnie Wallace. They shared a list of 2,198 “filthy, dirty, pornographic,” books Dan falsely claimed “are in all of our schools.” and “violate SB 13.” /1
Still shot of serial TX book challenger, Bonnie Wallace, and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick at Patrick’s recent press conference
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Reposted by Frank Strong
Maggie Tokuda-Hall @maggietokudahall.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Congratulations to THE LIBRARIANS crew on their emmy win tonight!!! So well deserved, and I hope you're all celebrating 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛 thelibrariansfilm.com @sassylibrarian.bsky.social @librarianjones.com @technolibrary.bsky.social @becalzada.bsky.social @thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social
thelibrariansfilm.com
Homepage - The Librarians Film | Official Site
Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights.
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Martha Hickson @sassylibrarian.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
A fellow target of censorship (and Emmy winner!), @jimmykimmel.com was so nice to to all of us @thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social
rutlandherald.com
2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards - Night One
Jimmy Kimmel, center, winner of the award for outstanding host for a game show for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," and the team from "The Librarians," winners of the
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Emmy winners! Congratulations to everyone involved!!
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
No better way to kick off the college football season than with Michael Boyle's new essay on fandom: soundofsheersilence.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-...
soundofsheersilence.blogspot.com
The 2026 Northwestern Essay No. 2--How to Be a Responsible Sports Fan
Tomorrow, Northwestern with open its 2026 football campaign against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.  The game will be played at Northwes...
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I’m so grateful to the Texas Tribune and Colleen DeGuzman for their attention to this story. I’m especially pleased she chose to zoom in on one particular book: Erika L. Sanchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, which has been so valuable for my students. www.texastribune.org/2026/09/04/t...
texastribune.org
Texas librarians hesitant to discuss books, order more, they say
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s latest push to restrict what students can access adds to Texas school librarians’ angst, the educators said.
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Leila Green Little @ifightforbooks.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“This proposal…advances a political agenda unrelated to our educational mission. It implies that understanding race, gender, sexuality, multiculturalism, and contemporary society is somehow less fundamental to education. In what world is that the case?” Thank you Dr. Bright. 💪
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Wendell Berry died. “That is a life I know the country by.”
The Old Elm Tree by the River
Shrugging in the flight of its leaves, it is dying. Death is slowly standing up in its trunk and branches like a camouflaged hunter. In the night I am wakened by one of its branches crashing down, heavy as a wall, and then lie sleepless, the world changed.
That is a life I know the country by.
Mine is a life I know the country by.
Willing to live and die, we stand here, timely and at home, neighborly as two men.
Our place is changing in us as we stand, and we hold up the weight that will bring us down.
In us the land enacts its history.
When we stood it was beneath us, and was the strength by which we held to it and stood, the daylight over it
a mighty blessing we cannot bear for long.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Just wow. Wow. open.substack.com/pub/coreyata...
open.substack.com
Soraya
I sat on the aisle at a movie the other day.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"Stuff like this seems and is unserious, and it's also poised to affect a lot of kids." Man, if that doesn't capture the moment I don't know what does.
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Martha Hickson @sassylibrarian.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
We’re back! To celebrate our Emmy nomination, THE LIBRARIANS documentary has returned to YouTube until mid-September. Watch it with friends, and then plan to vote for library-friendly candidates at every level of your ballot in November. The film will release to the major streamers later this fall.
youtu.be
Banned Books and the Librarians Caught in the Political Battle | Full Documentary | Independent Lens
YouTube video by PBS
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TX FReadom Fighters @freadomfighters.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We are proud to be a part of this day and thankful to the Austin City Council and Austin Public Library, designating Austin as a Book Safe Harbor.
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Leila Green Little @ifightforbooks.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This news story from @fox7austin.bsky.social warmed my heart this morning. @technolibrary.bsky.social and @freadomfighters.bsky.social represented well here. MAJOR KUDOS to the City of Austin and for Hannah Terrell for this resolution!
fox7austin.com
Austin city leaders bring forward 'Book Safe Harbor' resolution
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is warning public school districts to remove books he considers offensive. However, Austin city leaders are making their position clear that people should have the free...
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Martha Hickson @sassylibrarian.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
“Freedom to Read/Anti-Book Ban Laws are a reminder that libraries represent the whole of a community and that library workers are professionals who deserve to be respected as such.”
bookriot.com
Massachusetts Passes Freedom to Read Law
After years of work by the state legislature and literary advocates, Massachusetts became the 13th state to pass a freedom to read law.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Here's what everyone's missing about Dan Patrick's nutso press conference about books this week: Texas parents are NOT on his side, and that's a big problem for him. franklinstrong.substack.com/p/dan-patric...
franklinstrong.substack.com
Dan Patrick has a Parent Problem.
Parents aren’t going along with his anti-book crusade. So he wants to take it out on our schools.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Here's what everyone's missing about Dan Patrick's nutso press conference about books this week: Texas parents are NOT on his side, and that's a big problem for him. franklinstrong.substack.com/p/dan-patric...
franklinstrong.substack.com
Dan Patrick has a Parent Problem.
Parents aren’t going along with his anti-book crusade. So he wants to take it out on our schools.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
It’s a great day to donate to Dan Patrick’s opponent, @vikkigoodwintx.bsky.social! www.vikkigoodwin.com
vikkigoodwin.com
Rep. Vikki Goodwin
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
To be clear: the Lieutenant Gov is threatening to dock the accountability ratings of districts if they don’t remove The House in Mango Street, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Native Son, and Flannery O’Connor.
Screenshot showing that “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor, is on the list of 2000 books that Dan Patrick demanded be removed from schools today at a press conference at the Texas Capitol.Screenshot showing that “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” by Betty Smith, is on the list of 2000 books that Dan Patrick demanded be removed from schools today at a press conference at the Texas Capitol.Screenshot showing that “The House on Mango Street,” by Sandra Cisneros, is on the list of 2000 books that Dan Patrick demanded be removed from schools today at a press conference at the Texas Capitol.Screenshot showing that “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” by Oscar Wilde, is on the list of 2000 books that Dan Patrick demanded be removed from schools today at a press conference at the Texas Capitol.
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Texas Freedom to Read Project @txfreedomread.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Did you know Texas’s TEA accountability ratings are so ripe for manipulation by the state, that the Lieutenant Governor is threatening to pass a law knocking districts down an entire letter grade if they refuse to remove 2000+ library books being targeted by book-banning activists and politicians?
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Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Who is actually challenging books? In 2025, 92% of book challenges came from pressure groups, government officials, and other decision-makers. Less than 3% came from individual parents. Book banning is often framed as a wave of parental concern. The data tells a very different story.
in 2025, less than 3% of book challenges originated from individual parents
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Please take some time and read this piece by M. Gessen on life in an anti-trans state in 2026. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What’s Happening in Kansas Should Alarm Us All
Is Kansas just the beginning?
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Bill @bill-of-lefts.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Over the last year, the GOP collectively decided to start talking about Muslims like Nazis talked about Jews in 1934
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Murshed Zaheed @murshedz.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
“Trump has rejected disaster aid for Democratic-run states at the highest rate in the 47-year history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” Right now people in blue states are basically paying federal taxes as if they’re colonized territories of red states. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Trump has denied most disaster requests from Democratic-led states

A graph  showing Presidential approval rates for disaster requests from Democratic-led states and Republican-led states

Source: POLITICO's E&E News analysis of FEMA records
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Jason Day @dreson00.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The Scarlet Letter, A Farewell to Arms, A Separate Peace...all required reading in my TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM in the 90s. I could live another 500 years and I would still fail to be bewildered by how it has come to this.
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Samantha Harris @labellaharris.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Trevor Noah's book, Born A Crime, is on here from New Braunfels. Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park is on here from Brazosport. Pilot Point pulled The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This spreadsheet is insane.
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
While volunteers helped @txfreedomread.bsky.social track book removals from Tx schools after SB12 & SB13 were passed last year, I made a spreadsheet of the classic & acclaimed books that were banned from individual districts in 2025-2026. You won't believe it. open.substack.com/pub/franklin...
open.substack.com
More Than 100 Classic and Acclaimed Works of Literature Removed from Texas Schools Last Year
Was your favorite book banned from a Texas school district in 2025-2026?
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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
While volunteers helped @txfreedomread.bsky.social track book removals from Tx schools after SB12 & SB13 were passed last year, I made a spreadsheet of the classic & acclaimed books that were banned from individual districts in 2025-2026. You won't believe it. open.substack.com/pub/franklin...
open.substack.com
More Than 100 Classic and Acclaimed Works of Literature Removed from Texas Schools Last Year
Was your favorite book banned from a Texas school district in 2025-2026?
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kelly jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
As Goes Texas: The Roadmap for Dismantling Public Education for All. Texas's Bible-infused required reading lists for public school students are just the start. Expect other states to follow, as this is coming from the federal government. buttondown.com/wellsourced/...
buttondown.com
As Goes Texas: The Roadmap for Dismantling Public Education for All
Texas's Bible-infused required reading lists for public school students are just the start. Expect other states to follow.
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Texas Public Radio @texaspublicradio.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Some fear America is experiencing a literacy crisis, but business has been so good at Talking Animals Books in Grapevine that they opened a second location.
ebx.sh
Thanks to BookTok, business is booming for some North Texas independent bookstores
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TX FReadom Fighters @freadomfighters.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
"Our reading curriculum specialist told me and the other middle school librarian that we needed to create a “Classics/AP literature” section in our libraries because our district wasn’t producing any National Merit Scholars, and it’s because they weren’t reading critically. So we did...." 1/2
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