Goose Creek CISD outlines library policy changes to comply with Senate Bill 13; parents can restrict student access via Insignia

Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District staff briefed trustees on steps to comply with Senate Bill 13 and related state guidance, saying the district’s Insignia library management system will allow parents online access to district library catalogs and an ability to restrict specific titles for their children.

The presentation, given as part of a library services update, outlined three SB 13 requirements the district will meet: parent access and control of student library accounts, an effective materials challenge process, and an updated acquisition policy. Librarians said they will post curated purchase lists for 30 days to solicit community feedback and use Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) standards and TEA‑provided forms for challenges.

How it will work: Librarians said parents will log in to Insignia with the email used to register their student and receive a token code as a security step. A parent who objects to a title can restrict it for that student; if a restricted title is presented for checkout, the system will block the transaction. Librarians also said parents will be able to view students’ current checkouts and circulation history.

Materials challenge process: The district plans to curate lists of proposed purchases and donated items, post the lists for community input for 30 days, gather feedback via TEA fillable PDF or a Jotform, and route any challenged materials for librarian review. Reinstatement or permanent exclusion decisions will be made using board policy and TSLAC standards; reinstated items may still be restricted on a per‑student basis through Insignia.

Labor and logistics questions: Trustees asked how classroom libraries will be handled and raised concerns about the burden of cataloging long teacher classroom collections. Librarians said future phases will allow teachers to add classroom libraries and that administrators expect to need additional processes and support for cataloging large personal classroom collections. The timeline presented called for quarterly review and final board approval of curated lists as budget allows.

Why it matters: SB 13 changes require districts to provide parents direct control over library access for their students and establish transparent challenge processes. The district’s approach uses a vendor system to operationalize parental restrictions and a public posting process intended to meet TEA and TSLAC expectations.

Ending: The proposed policy and operational changes were presented for discussion; the board will consider EFB local (instructional materials/library resources) later in the agenda and approve final lists for purchase on a quarterly basis as funding permits.