Parent Workshop: Removing Inappropriate Books from Schools and Libraries

In November 2021, Bonnie Wallace was shown the book Gender Queer, which was in the children's section of the Llano County library, and she set out to do whatever she could to protect the children of Llano County from pornographic content.

Hillary Hickland of Belton is a ninth generation Texan, wife, and mom of four who is compelled by her faith and service to her community to be a proactive voice for her district in Austin. Her passion for Texans and the future generation led her to effectively advocate for her children and families in the regular legislative session. She now shifts her focus to service in an official capacity as State Representative for District 55 in Bell County, prioritizing issues that affect all Texans: border security, education, and cost of living.

Hillary received her BA from Baylor, her MA from Boston University. She is fluent in Spanish and taught English in Mexico. She was a Crisis Pregnancy Center Mentor for 10 years, a member of Central Texas Republican Women, The Vice President for the local Daughters of the Republic of Texas group, and served as PTA Vice President for 2 years.

Dr. Mary Bone is a committed conservative fighter.  She is a proud Republican, Christ-follower, local volunteer, and advocate for parents and teachers. She is also uniquely and exceptionally qualified as a highly accomplished engineer, author, and professor.  

Dr. Bone served on the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees from 2020-2024 and ran for the State Board of Education in the 2024 Primary.  She is the co-founder of the Capitol Area Conserative Republican Club and is a charter member of the Williamson County Chapter of Moms for Liberty Williamson County. 

Mary Elizabeth Castle is the Director of Government Relations for Texas Values and Texas Values Action, the largest statewide policy organization focusing on faith, family, and freedom in the State of Texas. As the Director of Government Relations, she works daily with the Texas Values team, legislators, and their staff at the Texas Capitol to ensure pro-family values are protected.

Mary Elizabeth has been published in the Daily Signal for her work on protecting children and is a contributor to the pro-life publication Society of St. Sabastian where she has been awarded the honor of both ‘Fellow’ and ‘Academic Fellow’. Mary Elizabeth has been invited to speak at venues across the state of Texas and the United States including the Texas GOP Convention, the national Pro-life Women’s Conference (PLWC) and Women’s Declaration International (WDI). She was the 2023 recipient of the “Freedom Award” from the Christian conservative group, Texas Minority Coalition.

Before joining the Texas Values team, Ms. Castle worked under the General Counsel at Midwestern State University, focusing on education policy. She also worked at First Liberty, where she conducted research and performed outreach for attorneys.

In law school, Mary Elizabeth interned for the Honorable Robert Junell in the federal district court of West Texas and the Honorable Vikki Miles-LaGrange in the federal district court of Oklahoma. She was also president of Texas Tech’s chapter of the Federalist Society.

Mary Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Southern Methodist University and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Tech School of Law. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas and previously served for 2 years on the board of directors for an Austin pro-life group.