Abilene ISD outlines new School Library Advisory Council under SB 13; librarians urge careful appointments

At a Oct. 2 workshop, Abilene ISD staff outlined how the district will form a School Library Advisory Council to comply with Senate Bill 13, and two public commenters urged the board to protect professional librarians’ role and choose SLAC members who will follow district policy rather than personal preference.

Lindsay Williamson, the district’s executive director for secondary education, told the board that state rules require seven voting members appointed by trustees, a majority of whom must be parents of currently enrolled students and not employed by the district. "There are 7 voting members all appointed by the board, 1 by each board member," Williamson said, describing a three‑year term and a recommendation that all seven voting seats be parents to meet the majority requirement. She said the SLAC will advise on acquisitions, removal policies, and the district’s challenge and reconsideration process.

Why it matters: SB 13 adds public notice and transparency requirements that shift parts of collection oversight from library staff to the community advisory council. Williamson said proposed purchase lists must be posted for 30 days with a public feedback form, meetings require 72‑hour notice and must be audio or video recorded, and minutes and recordings must be posted within 10 days. If a book challenge is received, the SLAC will review the materials and recommend action to the board; the district has 90 days to respond to challenges.

Two members of the public who spoke during the meeting urged caution in implementing the law. "Library collection development is very serious business," said Kaylin Ginzic, identified in the record as a librarian at Cooper and a parent, who cited a recent out‑of‑state example of litigation after a district removed titles and said SLAC nominees should be prepared to set aside personal beliefs and follow AISD policy. Eric Livens, a parent of two AISD students, said he supports librarians and would be willing to serve as a nominee but asked the board to vet members for a balanced approach.

Williamson also notified trustees that the district lost previous partner MOUs with the Abilene Public Library and McMurray: "We just got notice from Abilene Public Library, the city, it was actually the city, that they were ending that MOU," she said, explaining the partner libraries chose to end the agreements and that students can no longer use public‑library accounts via their AISD IDs. The district described mitigation steps — some campuses bus students to the Bowie Library and provide e‑book access — but said the loss reduces some automatic external access previously available.

Operational details and timeline: Williamson said nominations should be gathered quickly so the board can consider SLAC appointments at its Oct. 6 regular meeting. She said the district plans an orientation for newly named members and expects the SLAC to meet at least twice per year, though workload and challenge timing could require more frequent meetings. Replacement copies of existing titles with the same ISBN will not require SLAC or board approval, she added, and classroom libraries will need to be cataloged into the district system.

What’s next: Trustees were asked to submit parent nominees this week so staff can confirm willingness and include names in the Oct. 6 board book. The SLAC will make recommendations to the board; the board, not the council, retains final purchasing and removal authority.