The 89th Legislature adjourned sine die June 2 after passing many bills related to public education. In this multi-part series, ATPE is recapping these bills by first taking a look at major legislation relating to our four legislative priorities for the 2025 regular session.  

• SB 12 
• SB 13 

Coming soon: 

We’ll share information about other public education legislation not considered high-priority bills in a subsequent post.  

Each bill includes ATPE’s position on the legislation, along with links to related ATPE Legislative Program categories and positions.  

PART IV: Parental Rights 

Major Bills: 

• SB 12 – Parental Rights 
• SB 13 – School Library Books 

SB 12 by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) | et al. – Parental Rights 

Status: Signed into law    

SB 12 purports to be an omnibus “parental rights” bill. It restates many parental rights already common in public education and imposes new restrictions on public schools and educators.  

The bill recodifies parents’ rights to direct their child's education, access educational and health records, consent to health and psychological services, and review curriculum and instructional materials—all rights parents have long held prior to this bill’s enactment.  

It prohibits school employees from assisting students with social transitioning and bans instruction or programs related to sexual orientation or gender identity from pre-K through 12th grade, with or without parental consent or request. SB 12 also prohibits school districts from assigning or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) duties or requiring DEI statements.  

The law mandates additional disclosure of instructional materials and teacher plans and strengthens parental access to information through required internet portals and grievance procedures. Additionally, it outlines new reporting requirements for facility usage and school board transparency.  

SB 12 also incorporates parts of other bills that did not pass, most notably HB 7.  

ATPE submitted neutral written testimony on the bill and offered amendment language to rectify an unintended consequence of the changes to grievance procedures that could disadvantage teachers in employment proceedings.  

Related positions in the ATPE Legislative Program:  

School Accountability, Governance and Regulation: 

• School safety 

Workplace issues: 

• Curriculum 
• Parental, business, and community involvement 

SB 13 by Sen. Angela Paxton (R–McKinney) | et al. – School Library Books  

Status: Signed into law 

SB 13 grants parental access to records of books their children check out of school libraries and allows them to restrict their child’s access to specific titles.  

The bill mandates that school districts adopt policies for acquiring library materials, including a 30-day public review period before approval. It prohibits materials considered harmful, indecent, or profane and requires compliance with newly adopted state library standards.  

SB 13 allows communities to petition for the creation of local school library advisory councils, which must include a majority of parent members and help guide decisions about library content. Additionally, it establishes a formal challenge process for library materials and mandates that challenged books be removed from circulation pending review. 

ATPE did not take a formal position for or against the legislation. 

Related positions in the ATPE Legislative Program:  

Workplace issues: 

• Parental, business, and community involvement