Texas Conservative Activist Sues School District After Removal From Board Meeting

by Meredith Godwin | August 13, 2026 | Education

A conservative activist from Texas is suing the Houston Independent School District (HISD) after removing her from a board meeting for reading sexually explicit passages from a book available to students in the districts’ school libraries. 

Bonnie Wallace, a member of Protecting Texas Children and a resident of Texas Hill County, has repeatedly attempted to raise awareness about the abundance of inappropriate material readily available to minors in Texas public school libraries. 

Footage from a March HISD board meeting shows Wallace during public comment, announcing she would be reading from one of the “500 filthy books” on HISD library shelves. 

“If there’s children in the audience, they need to leave,” said Wallace. 

Board Vice President Angela Lemond Flowers promptly interrupted Wallace, saying, “You will not be allowed to read things that are not appropriate.”

“Oh, not appropriate?” said Wallace. “Then why are they in your schools?” 

Wallace began reading a direct passage from A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas, the fifth installment in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series – adult fantasy books widely known for their graphic sexual content. Focus on the Family’s “Plugged In” writes of another book in the ACOTAR series: 

The sex depicted is graphic and explicit and the conversations about sex are crude. … The acts are described in detail. … The banter between [characters] is sexually graphic.

A Court of Silver Flames also includes descriptions of violence, gore, past abuse, depression and self-loathing. 

As Wallace read the sexually explicit passage aloud, Flowers warned twice that she would be removed from the meeting if she continued reading the material. 

“If you don’t like it, remove it so that children don’t have access to it,” said Wallace before taking her seat. She was immediately escorted from the meeting by police. 

Wallace has since sued HISD for violating her First Amendment rights. The suit reads:

This was textbook viewpoint discrimination: HISD silenced Ms. Wallace precisely because she demonstrated the hypocrisy of its own policies, proving that if the content was too explicit for adults, it was too explicit for children. Such conduct is “an egregious form” of content regulation that the First Amendment almost never tolerates.

HISD filed a motion in July to dismiss Wallace’s case, claiming the lawsuit “identifies no authority requiring the presiding officer to permit the live oral recitation of sexually graphic passages in such a forum under those circumstances.” 

The HISD motion also cited 2 U.S. Supreme Court Decisions which asserted “the State’s substantial interest in protecting minors from exposure to sexually explicit material.”

Wallace responded in a statement saying: 

HISD claiming they had authority to remove me because I was reciting sexually explicit passages is such hypocrisy. They evidently thought the book was wildly inappropriate. I agree that this book, and thousands of others, are wildly inappropriate for minors. But HISD should explain why they squandered taxpayer dollars on this sexually explicit content and are now retaining it so minors continue to have access to it.
Their request to have the lawsuit dismissed by stating they want to protect minors from exposure to sexually explicit material is HILARIOUS! I guess they only want to protect minors from sexually explicit content during HISD school board meetings but not in HISD libraries!

Wallace and her attorneys have repeatedly referenced her warning that any children present needed to leave the meeting before she began reading from A Court of Silver Flames.

Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow for the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, commented:

Houston ISD removed a parent from a public meeting for reading aloud from a sexually explicit book that the district itself has placed in school libraries including those accessible to elementary, middle, and high school students.
The school board doesn’t want the public to hear the material they’re giving kids. That tells you everything you need to know about their priorities.

In 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 900 – the READER Act. The legislation outlined standards for school library materials across Texas, including specific requirements regarding sexually explicit literature.

Abbott’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, stated:

Sexually explicit material has no place in Texas public school libraries.
The Governor expects every school district to follow state law.

However, Wallace claims she has found over 2,100 inappropriate books across Texas public school libraries, and that HISD carries almost all of those books. 

She has repeatedly attempted to raise awareness about this problem by voicing concerns in school board meetings and to individual parents. The Protecting Texas Children’s social media pages feature videos of Wallace showing parents shocking samples of inappropriate literature available in public school libraries. 

Wallace’s case is scheduled for trial on September 13, 2027 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. 

Please join Daily Citizen in prayer for Bonnie Wallace and the important work she is doing to protect America’s children from inappropriate, explicit material. 

Related articles and resources:

Is it ‘Book Banning’ to Keep Sexually Explicit Books out of Schools?

Three Ways the Media Supports Sexually Explicit, Inappropriate Books for Children

Liberal Father Seeks to Disprove Concerns Over Sexually Explicit Books in Schools, Becomes Convinced These Books Are Not for Children

Sexualizing Schoolchildren: Classroom and Library Books