Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed Mike Morath, who is Texas Education Agency Commissioner, to being investigating pornography that has been made available in Texas public schools along with any associated criminal activity.
Recent reports of pornographic content being made available to students under the age of 18 prompted the Governor to write a letter to Morath, in which he pushes for the prosecution of any individuals involved to be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”
The issue gained traction in Texas after a school district in Ft. Worth, Texas announced it had removed a controversial gender-identity book that contained graphic sexual imagery.
At the beginning of the week, Abbott alerted the Texas Association of School Boards that an increasing number of concerned parents were alarmed over pornographic books being made available to Texas public school students.
In his letter to Morath, Abbott said “The presence of pornography in schools is not only inappropriate, but it is also against the law. In Texas, it is illegal to provide pornography to anyone under the age of 18 according to Section 43.24 of the Texas Penal Code.”
Abbott also stated, “The fact that pornographic material that serves no educational purpose has been made available to students in Texas public schools is a clear violation of the law…While the Texas Association of School Boards has refused to assist their member school boards to address this issue, the State of Texas must act for the sake of Texas students and parents.”
“That is why I am directing the Texas Education Agency to investigate any criminal activity in our public schools involving the availability of pornography. During this investigation, I ask the agency to refer any instance of pornography being provided to minors under the age of 18 for prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.”
