Majority of Texans Say State Won't Keep Harmful Content from Schools: Poll

The majority of Texans have little confidence that state leaders will be able to keep potentially harmful content and materials out of public school classrooms and libraries, according to a new poll conducted by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.

Of the poll's respondents, 65 percent said that they had "not too much" or "no confidence" in elected leaders' ability to satisfactorily screen the potentially harmful materials, Chron reported.

Another 47 percent of poll respondents said that they have "not too much" or "no confidence" in the capability of local librarians and school officials to judge books properly.

The poll's results underline the ongoing national conversation about book banning and topics like critical race theory, both of which have become points of contention in politics and school board meetings.

A Tennessee school board's decision last month to ban the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, which centers on the Holocaust, drew widespread backlash and pinpointed attention on the debate on the appropriateness of certain books for young learners.

The poll surveyed 1,188 registered voters between February 8 and 15. While 47 percent said that they had "not too much" or "no confidence" in the ability of librarians and school officials to judge books properly, 15 percent said that they had a "great deal" of trust for those officials.

Another 30 percent said that they had a "fair amount" of trust for them, Chron reported.

The Tennessee school board that banned Maus, penned by Art Spiegelman, cited concerns over language and nudity. Other books being deemed problematic by some Republican leaders, school officials and parents across the U.S. deal with topics like race, gender and sexuality.

Titles like The Handmaid's Tale and Gender Queer are among the other texts under conservative scrutiny, Chron reported.

NBC compiled a list of 50 books earlier this month that Texas parents have asked to have banned from their chlidrens' school libraries. The list included books that include or address topics like race, racism, sex and violence, among others.

One parent asked to have a children's biography of former First Lady Michelle Obama banned for all grade levels because they said it contains an unfair depiction of former President Donald Trump as a bully, NBC reported. The parent also said that some of Obama's thoughts and ruminations about race made it seem like "if you sound like a white girl you should be ashamed of yourself."

After the Maus ban, Spiegelman warned that Holocaust stories could follow critical race theory in becoming the next battleground in public schools.

"It's already started happening, like I said. The dog whistles abound," he told CNN's New Day in January.

Newsweek has reached out to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

Update 02/23/22, 11:40 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.