GOP's Greg Abbott calls on schools to remove 'extremely inappropriate' books from their libraries

On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) sent a letter to Texas Association of School Boards Executive Director Dan Troxell, demanding that he take action to remove "extremely inappropriate" books from school libraries around the state.

"A growing number of parents of Texas students are becoming increasingly alarmed about some of the books and other content found in public school libraries that are extremely inappropriate in the public education system," said the letter. "The most flagrant examples include clearly pornographic images and substance that have no place in the Texas education system."

While Abbott did not give any specific examples, NBC reporter Mike Hixenbaugh noted that recent cases in the state "have centered on anti-racism, sex-ed and LGBTQ books."

This comes after Texas GOP state lawmaker Matt Krause demanded that schools around the state disclose whether their libraries hold any of a list of 850 books he compiled that he believes could "make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex." As NPR noted, the request "mentioned several recent pushes to remove books from libraries and classrooms if they center on issues from transgender identity to critical race theory."

Republicans have sought to remove content from school programs around the country that examine racism in U.S. history, under the guise of eliminating references to so-called "critical race theory."

Read the full letter below: