Texas Schools Plan to Turn 28 Libraries Into Discipline Centers

The Houston Independent School District announced Tuesday that at least 28 local schools will be placed under the New Education System, a reform plan that involves firing those schools’ librarians. The library spaces at these schools—all of which have been deemed to be underperforming—will also be converted into so-called “Team centers,” where students who misbehave in the classroom will be sent to watch the lesson remotely. The libraries’ books will remain on shelves under an honor system. “When you start taking away access to the library, you’re taking away access to information,” a librarian told the Houston Chronicle. “At the end of the day, it’s just going to make the kids feel like reading is less important.” The New Education System is the brainchild of Superintendent Mike Miles, appointed last month to lead the school district. It has been hit with wide criticism, including from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “You don’t close libraries in some of the schools in your most underserved communities, and you’re keeping libraries open in other schools,” he said.