School library laws and subject-matter clarity
States are writing rules about what is in a book, who can see the catalog, and how parents opt out. BookLooky’s Looky Rating System (LRS) makes that subject matter visible — without turning ratings into a ban list.
Last reviewed August 12, 2026
Texas SB 13 is the law many boards are watching: parental catalog access, title-level opt-out, advisory councils, and a public acquisition review. Other states use age-appropriate materials acts, harmful-to-minors complaint clocks, posted catalogs, or adult-section relocation. Almost none require a commercial vendor to rate every book — and Texas’s attempt to do that (HB 900) is permanently enjoined.
LRS is optional decision-support: spoiler-free 0–5 scores for violence, love & romance, language, substance use, and more, plus age bands. It is not a TEA, USBE, or state-board rating, and it must not be the sole basis for removing a title.
This page is not legal advice. Status can change in court or in the next session. Read the enrolled bill and your counsel before changing collection policy. BookLooky’s terms and rating integrity policy forbid using LRS as a ban tool.
How LRS maps to these laws
Subject-matter clarity
Laws like Texas SB 13 ask boards and parents to know what a book contains. LRS splits Content Intensity (violence, love & romance, mental health, language, substance use, fear) from Story Themes (what the book is about, including LGBTQ+ presence — a presence score, not a warning).
Age and grade bands
Age-appropriate-materials acts in Tennessee, Iowa, Oklahoma, and South Carolina need a consistent age signal. LRS publishes 4+, 8+, 13+, and 18+ bands alongside the category scores.
Catalog transparency
Florida, Indiana, Arizona, Nebraska, North Carolina, and others require posted or parent-accessible catalogs. Bulk LRS scans produce staff-ready lists at $0.20 per book ($200 minimum) while families keep searching for free.
Parental opt-out and checkout notice
Texas SB 13 and North Carolina H805 let a parent block titles for their child. Kentucky lets a parent opt out even if the board keeps the book. LRS is built for family-level choice, not collection-wide deletion.
Challenge and reconsideration files
Georgia, Indiana, Tennessee, Utah, and South Carolina run fast or statewide review processes. Official full-text LRS scans include excerpt citations for a review packet — not a legal finding of obscenity or “harmful to minors.”
Adult-section vs. youth-section placement
Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, and Alabama’s public-library rules often talk about relocating or restricting checkout — not burning books. Scores can inform sectioning. They must not be the sole basis for removal.
Start with the laws people are searching
Texas: SB 13
Texas SB 13 is the leading 2025 school-library parental-control and collection-policy law. Vendor-mandated ratings under HB 900 are permanently enjoined.
Florida: HB 1467
Florida requires media-specialist review and posted school catalogs; the “describes sexual conduct” library standard is enjoined.
Iowa: SF 496
Iowa SF 496 limits school libraries to “age-appropriate” materials and excludes descriptions of a “sex act”; it may be enforced again after April 2026.
Utah: HB 374
Utah bans pornographic or indecent “sensitive materials” in K–12 and can remove a title statewide after enough local findings.
Illinois: HB 4241
Illinois HB 4241 would require publisher age bands and content flags — the closest pending analog to LRS. It is not law.
All 50 states
Dedicated pages cover enacted, pending, enjoined, struck-down, and vetoed bills. Other states are listed here so policymakers can see the gap — no dedicated statewide rating statute as of August 12, 2026.
Alaska has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Alabama’s public-library rules are administrative (state aid), not a school-library rating statute.
Arizona requires school and charter library catalog access and a list of books a child borrowed.
Arkansas Act 372 can take effect again after a 2026 Eighth Circuit ruling; HB 1646 locks K–5 sexual content.
California has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Colorado has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Connecticut has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Delaware has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Florida requires media-specialist review and posted school catalogs; the “describes sexual conduct” library standard is enjoined.
Georgia SB 226 gives parents a fast harmful-to-minors complaint path for school and classroom materials.
Hawaii has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Idaho HB 710 requires relocating “harmful to minors” material away from minors or facing suit; litigation is pending.
Illinois HB 4241 would require publisher age bands and content flags — the closest pending analog to LRS. It is not law.
Indiana HEA 1447 requires a public school-library catalog and a process to remove obscene or harmful-to-minors material.
Iowa SF 496 limits school libraries to “age-appropriate” materials and excludes descriptions of a “sex act”; it may be enforced again after April 2026.
Kansas has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Kentucky SB 5 lets parents complain that school materials are harmful to minors and opt their child out even if the board keeps the title.
Louisiana requires public libraries to limit minors’ access to sexually explicit materials and give parents card-level controls.
Maine has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Maryland has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Massachusetts has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Michigan has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Minnesota has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Mississippi HB 1315 requires vendors to filter school and public-library digital databases — not print book ratings.
Missouri’s 2022 “explicit sexual material to a student” crime was permanently enjoined in November 2025. It is not current law.
Montana has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Nebraska LB 390 requires a public, building-level catalog of school-library books and checkout notifications for parents.
Nevada has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
New Hampshire has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
New Jersey has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
New Mexico has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
New York has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
North Carolina H805 requires public access to school library titles and lets a parent block specific books from their child.
North Dakota SB 2307 would have required explicit-sexual-material review and relocation. It was vetoed in April 2025.
Ohio has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Oklahoma requires school library media programs to reflect community standards and keep an age-appropriate collection. Public-library rating bills have not become law.
Oregon has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Pennsylvania has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Rhode Island has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
South Carolina State Board Regulation 43-170 treats descriptions of “sexual conduct” as not age-appropriate for any age and requires posted catalogs.
South Dakota has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act requires posted school library lists; 2024 law adds a state-level include/remove appeal.
Texas SB 13 is the leading 2025 school-library parental-control and collection-policy law. Vendor-mandated ratings under HB 900 are permanently enjoined.
Utah bans pornographic or indecent “sensitive materials” in K–12 and can remove a title statewide after enough local findings.
Vermont has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Virginia SB 656 requires parental notice of sexually explicit instructional materials — and says it shall not be construed as book censorship. It is not a library-ban statute.
Washington has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
West Virginia SB 704 lets parents inspect classroom instructional materials and classroom books. It is not a full school-library collection statute.
Wisconsin has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Wyoming has no dedicated statewide school-library rating or subject-matter labeling statute as of August 12, 2026.
Questions from boards and publishers
What is Texas SB 13?
Texas SB 13 (2025) is a school-library law. Parents get catalog access and can block specific titles for their child, boards adopt acquisition policies with public review, and local advisory councils can be required if enough parents petition. It does not require a commercial vendor rating. BookLooky’s Looky Rating System (LRS) is optional subject-matter information for those catalogs and reviews.
Does any state require BookLooky or another vendor to rate library books?
No in-force statute requires BookLooky. Texas HB 900 tried to compel vendor sexual-content ratings and those sections are permanently enjoined. Illinois HB 4241 would create publisher age bands and content flags; it was pending as of August 2026 and is not law.
Is BookLooky a book-ban tool?
No. LRS ratings are informational. BookLooky’s terms say they must not be used as the sole basis for removing books from schools or libraries. The product is built so families, librarians, and boards can see subject matter — violence, romance, language, substance use, and more — without spoilers or judgment.
Do these laws apply to public libraries or only school libraries?
Most of the active laws apply to school libraries, classroom collections, or assigned instructional materials. Public libraries are in scope in fewer states (for example Louisiana card controls, Idaho HB 710, Arkansas Act 372, and Alabama’s APLS aid rules). Always check the specific bill’s scope.
How does LRS help with parental opt-out and catalog posting?
Parents can search booklooky.com for free. Districts can bulk-scan a catalog so posted title lists include age bands and 0–5 content scores. That supports Texas SB 13, North Carolina H805, Nebraska LB 390, Arizona HB 2439, Florida HB 1467, and similar transparency duties — without turning the catalog into a ban list.
Is this page legal advice?
No. It is a plain-language overview last reviewed August 12, 2026. Court orders change. Read the enrolled bill, your state education agency, and your counsel before changing collection policy.
Put LRS on the catalog — don’t put it on a ban list
Libraries and schools can bulk-scan collections. Publishers and authors can print official LRS badges so gatekeepers see verified full-text scores, not an AI guess from a blurb.