Marion ISD

The SLAC meets at least twice each year to collaborate with librarians and district staff in developing recommended library materials, including both purchased and donated titles.

These recommendations are presented to the Board of Trustees, who review all materials and make final approval decisions. To support transparency, proposed materials are made available for public review at least 30 days prior to Board consideration.

The council also helps establish procedures for reviewing and addressing challenges to library materials, ensuring all processes follow state guidelines and respect community input.

Through this process, Marion ISD promotes transparency, encourages parent involvement, and builds library collections that support student achievement while fostering a lifelong love of reading.

Librarians and staff begin by creating a list of proposed library titles, which is then reviewed by the School Library Advisory Council (SLAC). Once reviewed, the list is made publicly available for at least 30 days to allow parents and community members the opportunity to review and provide feedback. After this public review period, the Board of Trustees considers the recommendations and votes to approve or reject the list during a public meeting.

During the 30-day public review period, parents can read the proposed list and submit comments through a district-provided form (such as Google Forms) or other designated process. These comments are shared with the Board before their final vote.

Public feedback is considered by the Board, along with SLAC recommendations. The law does not require a separate process for handling negative comments at this stage; instead, all feedback is part of the Board’s decision-making process.

Yes. Parents, district employees, and residents of the district may file a formal challenge using the state-provided form (coming from TEA). During the challenge process, the book is temporarily removed from circulation until a decision is made.

The Board of Trustees has the final authority to decide whether a challenged book stays in or is removed from the library. Advisory councils and librarians may provide input, but the Board makes the ultimate decision. 

No. SB 13 applies to school library collections, not instructional materials used in classrooms.

Yes. Donated books follow the same 30-day public posting and Board approval process unless they are exact replacements (same ISBN) of books already in the library.

The Board is responsible for ensuring that approved books meet state library standards and reflect community expectations. SLAC serves in an advisory role to make recommendations that reflect these values.

A replacement book is a copy purchased to replace one that was lost, damaged, or worn out in the school library. 

● No, if it’s the same edition (same ISBN): The book can be added back to the library without public posting or Board approval.

● Yes, if it’s a new edition (different ISBN): It must be posted for 30 days of public review and approved by the Board before being added to the library. 

It depends. 

SB 13 includes the following narrow exemptions from the 30-day public comment and board approval requirements: 

● replace a damaged copy with the same ISBN that is currently in the catalog ● additional copies of a title with the same ISBN that is current in the catalog ● has the same ISBN and has been approved for the same grade levels by the school board from a previously proposed list of library materials 

If the book to be purchased meets one of those criteria, then it does not require board approval. If it does not (i.e. ISBNs don’t match), then the book will have to be posted for 30-day public comment and approved by the board. 

In SB 13, library materials are defined as “any book, record, file, or other instrument or document in a school district’s library catalog. The term does not include instructional material, as defined by Section 31.002 of the Education Code, or materials procured for the TexShare consortium under Subchapter M, Chapter 441, Government Code. 

The school board may choose to appoint classroom teachers, librarians and counselors, and school administrators employed by the district to the Local School Library Advisory Council as nonvoting members. Only parents of children enrolled in the district who are not employed by 

the district, may serve as voting members of the council. The council must consist of at least five members, with a majority of its voting members being nonemployee parents.

The law requires each member of the board to appoint an equal number of advisory council members, and the council must have a minimum of five members, the majority of which must be parents of children enrolled in the district. SB 13 does not specify criteria for the school board to ensure comprehensive representation of the entire school community beyond the outlined categories for voting (parents with children in the district) and non-voting members (parents not employed by the district, classroom teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, business community members, clergy). The decision of who within these categories is appointed rests with the board of trustees. 

No. The law does not require a review of library materials currently in the district’s library collection.

November 12, 2025