Houston Fights Back Against District’s Plans to Turn School Libraries Into Detention Centers

“We got to fight back! We got to fight back! Fight back! Fight back!”

I joined librarians, teachers, parents, and community leaders in chants, protesting the largest school district in Texas’ plans to convert public school libraries into detention centers. Passions ran as hot as the sweltering heat as hundreds converged at a HISD headquarters parking lot to make their voices heard.

“The idea of turning a library into a detention room is nuts!” Harris County Commissioner, Rodney Ellis, called from the podium. “Here’s what I say not only to the superintendent, but to the board. Would any of you put your children in a school that doesn’t have a library?”

At author visits, I tell youngsters how visiting the library encouraged me to read and reach for the stars as a child. Houston’s superintendent’s scheme to turn libraries into “Team Centers” that will house students with disciplinary problems, essentially transforms a place of learning and dreaming into a pipeline to prison. At least 28 campuses are eliminating librarians and media specialist positions. HISD serves more than 189,000 students.

Students and parents shared disappointment that places of refuge and inspiration are being taken away. Librarians and community leaders highlighted the political implications of removing resources for those who have the least, as affected schools are in low-income areas. HISD was taken over by the state recently, so the changes are being made by non-elected officials.

I’m happy to play a small role in this fight that impacts our future. I will continue to support our schools and librarians in any way I can. Libraries open doors for our youth, and the education and knowledge they afford is the pathway to success!