Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
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Hey Pete Hoekstra you stupid stuffed shirt!! The anti American sentiment in..."
Sadly, I am a bit scared that even verbal missiles launched at Pete Hoekstra from either Canadian politicians or Canadians in general could be used as an excuse by Trump and company to justify annexing or invading.
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Good, and I hope that ABC and Disney go belly up!!
https://screenrant.com/kimmel-cancell...
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly...
Donald Trump only believes in freedom of expression if it does not criticise him.
Trump is becoming more and more the exact mirror image of Hitler (and his supporters are in my opinion also total National Socialists).
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/boycot...Good, and I hope that ABC and Disney go belly up!!
https://screenrant.com/kimmel-cancell...-..."
Yes all non-MAGA people are fully aware of the contradiction that free speech only works one way and this is fascism.
There are numerous petitions online supporting freedom of speech (First Amendment), Jimmy Kimmel and to boycott ABC, Disney+/Hulu/ESPN. I highly doubt anyone will boycott Disney+ though. If we boycott Disney+/Hulu/ESPN/ABC AND Paramount (possibly soon Warner Bros.), what's left to watch? I've been watching The ROKU Channel.... (In addition to NBC Universal shows and Warner Bros. Discovery Food Network shows).
Jimmy Kimmel said something similarly inflammatory back in 2014 and there was a hue and a cry to cancel his show but nothing happened. Imagine that?
Um what? Pinkalicious
yes this.... (Those of you with small children in your lives have undoubtedly read or seen this book). I think we own a copy. I'll send it to Texas!The Texas Freedom to Read Project reports:
Pinkalicious and 700+ other titles removed from Lamar Consolidated ISD, near Houston
Contact Lamar Consolidated ISD trustees and local Texas lawmakers, and ask them to fix the local policies and laws that have now banned Pinkalicious- and hundreds more books along with her.
https://www.txftrp.org/pinkalicious_a...
Um what? Pinkalicious
yes this.... (Those of you with small children in your lives have undoubtedly read or seen this book). I think we own a copy. I'll send it to Texas!The Texas Freedom to Read Project reports:
Pinkalicious and 700+ other titles removed from Lamar Consolidated ISD, near Houston
Contact Lamar Consolidated ISD trustees and local Texas lawmakers, and ask them to fix the local policies and laws that have now banned Pinkalicious- and hundreds more books along with her.
https://www.txftrp.org/pinkalicious_a...
They lie. There's no gender fluidity in some of these books. Téo's Tutu is about a boy who dances.
The Downstairs Girl first of all is historical fiction and it isn't safe to dress like a girl all the time but the protagonist is very much a girl. And why not ban it because of the hints at s-e-x? Or be honest and ban it because it's about Asian-American history and discrimination and also because (view spoiler)
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Jimmy Kimmel is the honorary mayor of Dildo, Newfoundland.
Maybe Kimmel should go to Dildo and broadcast from there.
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Nothing to do with book banning and the like, but this story totally and utterly made me hugely smile.
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y...Nothing to do with book banning and the like, but this story totally and utterly made me hugely smile."
It's wonderful! I'm sure the Church was hoping to make a real estate killing, and the nuns were in the way. Always follow the money.
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Nothing to do with book banning and the like, but this story totally and utterly made me hugely smile."
It's wonderful! I'm sure t..."
Think so too!! Fact is the nuns had originally been told that they would be allowed to remain at the convent for the rest of their lives. Really find it lovely that their former students are supporting them.
Manybooks wrote: "https://deadline.com/2025/09/bill-mah...Will Maher be the next cancellation?"
Seth Myers is next on Trump's hit list. Then the rest of the late night comedians.
More book news to share from BookRiot's Literary Activism newsletter soon
QNPoohBear wrote: "Las VegasCensorship concerns: CCSD principal’s email sparks fierce library book debate
An otherwise uneventful Clark County School Board meeting became a lightning rod for debate on censorship an..."
Clark County School District leadership responds to claims of a book ban
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/clark-c...
Claims of a soft book ban in Las Vegas valley schools spurred a protest at a district meeting, but Moms for Liberty representatives said questioning some books is valid.
Protestors, some with Read Freely Nevada, gathered at the Clark County School District Education Center to call for action after an email from the Sierra Vista High School principal suggested administrators take a look at any books that could be controversial.
“A good starting point is the Moms for Liberty website, and you can sort by rating score,” the principal wrote. “From there, you can determine whether to ‘weed’ the title (an option if the book has not been checked out in years) or just leave it on your shelf.”
...
“CCSD is committed to transparency with our community and is proactively requiring all schools to post the titles of books within their school libraries on their individual school websites,” school district staff wrote.
In their response, school district staff also highlighted that all schools are required to follow policy and the CCSD library services manual, which outlines requirements for maintaining and updating school library content.
Jhone Ebert, CCSD Superintendent, also commented on the soft book ban claims from some librarians and acknowledged the email at the center of the controversy during a public meeting.
“I want to make it clear, “ Ebert said. “There is no endorsement of any particular organization or its viewpoints on library materials.”
Dr. Nichole Beer, a CCSD librarian, said she became concerned when she saw the email sent to school administrators and a link to a controversial organization.
“She asked her colleagues and embedded a domestic terrorist organization called Moms for Liberty,” Beer said. “Those aren’t my words. Those are the words of the Southern Poverty Law Center. And before Trump’s administration, the words of the Department of Justice.”
Beer said the rules were not being followed when the email was sent out, pointing to the same policy posted by CCSD. She added the soft book ban would impact books that predominantly feature characters of color, rebutting a claim that the books are s--ual in nature.
“This isn’t about all the hyperbole that they talk about pornography,” she said. “P---graphy is set to titillate. Okay, if you’re getting off on kids’ books, you’ve got a bigger problem. These are books that are the erasure of historically disenfranchised people, and we will not allow it.”
Read Freely Nevada made statements at the school district meeting calling, amongst other items, to see the Sierra Vista High School principal resign.
Yadusha Jones, chairwoman for Moms for Liberty Nevada, said the email never pushed any administrator to do anything, but rather was asking for responsible reading material to be on school shelves.
“She didn’t say do this or else,” Jones said. “She just asked them to do the research, and she shouldn’t be fired for that; if anything, those librarians should be fired.”
Reacting to the calls for the high school principal’s resignation, Jones disagreed any action should be taken and instead pointed to some parents agreeing with the book review.
“If she was to be fired for having her own voice, that means that the community don’t have First Amendment,” Jones said. “CCSD, they pride themselves on having First Amendment, but they do not show it. There are so many teachers and parents that are scared of what’s going to happen to them in retaliation due to having First Amendment, and they stay silent.”
South Carolinahttps://www.foxcarolina.com/2025/09/1...
The Pickens County Library Board is considering moving a number of books to a section for older readers.
Upstate Senator Rex Rice has submitted a request for five books to be moved from the young adult section to the adult section of the Pickens County Library.
The library board previously made a vote at their last meeting to move the books, but the board’s attorney said the vote was illegal because the motion was not placed on the meeting’s agenda.
The board said it needs to follow its own policy to move the books, which involves its members reading the books first to determine if they contain material warranting the section change.
A motion was made to suspend the rules about moving the books, but it failed.
The books will be moved back to the young adult section for now.
North CarolinaDavidson County school board member explains push to remove s--ually explicit books
https://archive.ph/vkh3j#selection-26...
Davidson County Board of Education member Mur DeJonge has his supporters and adversaries when it comes to his attempt to seek the removal of certain books from schools in the Davidson County Schools system.
But he's not trying to make friends or enemies. The Heath Church associate pastor said it's about protecting children from what he views as vulgar, s--ually explicit, age-inappropriate and educationally void literature in local schools.
"The book challenges are not about me as a pastor or my faith," he said, noting several opponents have tried to label him a religious zealot. "This is because I am a concerned parent and grandparent, and this specifically revolves around s--ually explicit, age-inappropriate words and pictures that I believe are pervasively vulgar and educationally unsuitable to be in a school library."
DeJonge announced at the Aug. 4 school board meeting he had delivered challenges to four books earlier that day. He also said that if his challenges had to be escalated to the school board level for a decision, he would recuse himself from the discussions and the vote.
The four books are "Hopeless" by Colleen Hoover at Ledford High, "Ready Player One" by Ernest Clibe at Tyro Middle, "The Art of Racing In the Rain" by Garth Stein at Central High or Middle School and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky at East Davidson High.
More book challenges will be made, he said.
After a written challenge is delivered to a school's principal or media specialist, the school has 45 days to convene its Media and Technology Advisory Committee to review and make a decision. If the outcome is not what DeJonge wants, he can appeal to the superintendent. From there, he can appeal to the board of education. He is expecting a decision from MTAC by Sept. 17.
When running for Davidson County Board of Education in 2024, he made the removal of inappropriate, s--ually explicit books from county schools a cornerstone of his campaign.
"I said that during my campaign, and look at the people who supported me with their votes," he said. "I received the second-highest number of votes."
DeJonge said he was directed to several websites by like-minded voters to view books that have been targeted across the country. His research started there, but he said he wants everyone to know he did not make his decision to challenge a book based on the content or excerpts listed on the websites. He read each cover to cover and weighed the overall lesson or educational value of the book.
"This is not about a few cuss words in a book," he said.
Two of the websites he said were most helpful with his research are pavementeducationprojec.org and takebacktheclassroom.com.
He said the books he chose to challenge are steeped in vulgarness and graphic descriptions of s--ual acts that are void of education value. In fact, he said, exposure to this content will harm students who are not mentally mature enough to understand what is happening.
...
"When I have shared those passages with people who have asked why I am doing this, even the ones who disagree with me for trying to remove the books, I have not found one person who said, 'You're crazy. I want that in front of my child,'" he said. "I'm not telling parents what to do with their kids. ... They can do what they want. I'm not trying to parent other children. I think it's educationally unsuitable to have these books in our schools. They can get access and read these books somewhere else. I am not taking away their ability to buy or get these books by other means. They just do not belong in our schools."
Misleading story...Kelly Jensen of BookRiot addsThe school didn’t pull the books and has always had the opt-out forms, as most schools have for years.
Chicago area
Hinsdale D181 Counters Conservative Activist
The activist says her group pressured the district to remove books and change policy.
https://patch.com/illinois/hinsdale/h...
A Hinsdale conservative activist says her group's efforts have resulted in a Hinsdale District 181 policy that lets parents opt their children out of school materials.
And Kristina McCloy contends that Concerned Parents of Illinois, which she founded, pressured the district to remove two books from the district's library collections.
The district denies those assertions.
McCloy, a former Downers Grove Township trustee, made the statements last week in the DuPage Policy Journal, a conservative online publication. She objects to what she considers sexualized and LGBT-themed materials.
"By standing firm, we forced them to change, and today, parents in D181 finally have the right to shield their children from this age-inappropriate agenda," McCloy told the publication. "This is what happens when moms fight together for parental rights and never back down. Thank you to Judicial Watch for standing with parents and defending their rights, and to D181 for finally listening to its parents."
On Tuesday, Patch asked the district about McCloy's statements. A day later, the district emailed a statement to the public, saying it enacted the opt-out policy years ago.
...
In 2003, the district enacted a process to approve curricular materials, according to the statement. It involves a committee of teachers, administrators and district curriculum officials.
In 2016, the district developed a process by which parents could express their concerns or opt out of certain lessons and materials for their children, the district said.
"Please know that any individual 'opt-out' request does not have an effect on what is taught in our classrooms," the district said.
In the DuPage Policy Journal story, McCloy also said the district removed two books from its library collection – "My Princess Boy" by Cheryl Kilodavis and "It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity" by Theresa Thorn.
Asked about this, Karen O'Connor, the district's spokeswoman, said the district has not removed books from its libraries.
When Patch contacted McCloy, she stood by her assertions.
"As is evident from the June 16th Board meeting, the D181 Board adopted a policy that affirms a parent’s right to prevent access to objectionable material by their own children," McCloy said in an email. "This change came after my specific request for such a policy, which the administration initially denied."
As for the two books, McCloy said the district's online catalog indicates they are not in the collection.
"If they are still physically present in the library, why are they not reflected in the catalogue?" she said.
O'Connor said the district made no substantial changes to its book challenge policy earlier this summer. But she said the school board made a few key adjustments to the process for challenges.
"These changes are designed to ensure the policy is used as intended, but the intent of the policy remains intact," O'Connor said.
Among the changes, she said, are limiting challenges to District 181 parents and residents, preventing others from influencing school library collections.
The district also removed the option of challenges by phone. All challenges must now be in writing, maintaining a clear, documented process, O'Connor said.
"These updates reinforce the core concept of the policy, which has been in place since 2016," she said. "Our goal has always been to maintain a consistent process for addressing parent concerns."
Texas’s Senate Bill 20 targets manga'Content Is Too Provocative': Texas Says Yes to Anime Censorship With New 'Anti-Anime' Law
https://www.cbr.com/anime-censorship-...
On Sept. 1, Texas embraced the Senate Bill 20, dubbed 'Anti-Anime' by the fandom, and it has already led to some popular manga being pulled from the shelves and publishers being banned from conventions.
According to the new legislation, anyone who owns or shares obscene material featuring a character who appears to be a minor is now committing a serious crime, punishable by jail time. While the law uses a broad legal definition for what is considered "obscene," the trickiest part is how widely it applies. The bill's text specifically states that it covers not only real images but also "cartoon or animation" -- a clause that directly puts anime and manga content at risk of prosecution.
The law's effect was evident even before its official enactment. Visual novel publisher JAST USA and its manga imprint, J18 Publishing, experienced this directly at the San Japan convention in San Antonio. After a successful first day at the event, the publisher was banned from the show floor before Day 2 began, with their content being deemed "too provocative" for the state's new legal climate. JAST USA is known for publishing Japanese visual novels, including mature and ecchi titles.
The bill is also forcing comic book retailers to take preemptive measures to avoid potential prosecution. Andrew Balderas, manager of Kaboom Comics, pulled early volumes of Dragon Ball manga from his shelves, as he was concerned that the scenes involving Goku and Bulma from the initial volumes, though intended as comedic, could fall afoul of the new law.
This reaction from publishers and retailers highlights what political analysts describe as the law's potential for "unintended consequences." While SB20 was originally passed with bipartisan support to fight AI-generated child exploitation, its vague and sweeping language is now the primary cause for concern. The bill's author, Republican Sen. Pete Flores, stated that his intent was to send a "clear message" to child predators. However, experts point out that the blanket terms used in the legislation are what could cause significant damage to unintended targets. Dr. Jon Taylor, a political science professor at UT San Antonio, explained that the broad nature of SB20 could empower local prosecutors to target animated content, including anime, that they simply find personally distasteful. This raises serious questions about how the subjective standard for "obscene" will be applied and enforced across the state.
While supporters of such legislation often argue that anime is not the intended target, there is a clear precedent for animated content being censored under similarly broad terms. Recently in the UK, three separate advertisements for the 2025 video game High School DxD Operation Paradise Infinity were banned, citing "offensive content". A similar enforcement of SB20 could endanger numerous anime and manga, with popular ecchi titles like High School DxD being prime targets for censorship.
This use of subjective enforcement is precisely what has drawn sharp criticism from both international figures and legal advocacy groups in the United States. Zenko Kurishita, a former member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, criticized the bill, calling the standard of a character simply "looking like" a minor "nonsensical." Domestically, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) has been a vocal opponent of the law. The advocacy group confirmed that it fought to prevent the bill's passage but stated that the Texas legislature was "locked in" on the issue. The organization is now "working on next steps" to address the law's impact.
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I wish Canada could strip Pete Hoekstra of his diplomatic immunity, arrest him and then very publicly boot his sorry ass back to Washington (but of course that would be precisely the excuse Donald Trump would need to justify annexation or an invasion, although I do think that Hoekstra needs to go, needs to be sent back to the USA with his tail between his pathetic legs).
A positive story for once:How Grassroots Activists Are Fighting for the Right to Read
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
and the rock star lawyers fighting for the first amendment freedom to read
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...
Back to the bad newsIowa
Recent state board decision opens questions around Iowa’s book ban law
https://www.kcrg.com/2025/09/12/recen...
Two years ago, lawmakers put broad limits on s--ual content in schools. But now, a parent and the state board of education are looking for more guidance on racial content.
Dallas Center-Grimes Parent Shellie Flockhart protested two books included in her son’s English class: “American Born Chinese” and “This is My America,” both tackle issues of racism.
Flockhart claims the books violate a 20-21 law banning the teachings of critical race theory.
“The material fosters division, shame, victimization, and heightened racism,” she said. “By training students to review everything through the lens of racism, it reverses progress.”
The superintendent, a review committee, and an Administrative Law Judge all agreed that the books could remain in the classroom.
The State Board of Education said it can’t rule on whether the books meet state law, only saying the district followed proper procedures in making the ruling.
But the board said there has been confusion around what books are allowed in classrooms and encouraged Iowa lawmakers to give better guidance next session.
During the meeting, the Board also discussed removing the words gender identity from its policies, following Senate File 418, which removes gender identity as a protected class.
Arizona1,500 demand resignation of Sen. Werner after offensive remarks
https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2025/...
More than 1,500 people are demanding the resignation of a state senator and Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board member after she allegedly made disparaging comments about the weight of a district staffer during an official meeting.
More than 50 community members attended the board’s Sept. 9 meeting, calling for Sen. Carine Werner, R-Scottsdale, to resign from her seat on the board.
At the board’s previous meeting on Aug. 5, Werner, who attended virtually, was allegedly heard complaining during a presentation from the district’s Nutritional Services Director, Patti Bilbrey.
Werner appeared to have called Bilbrey “morbidly obese” and “Chubs” during Bilbrey’s presentation, causing uproar from many parents, teachers and community members.
“It was deplorable. We couldn’t believe she called a beloved district employee ‘Chubs’ during a presentation in which she was speaking about how we can feed kids during the summer,” said Shea Najafi, a parent who attended the Sept. 9 meeting.
Bilbrey was informing the board about a summer meals program with Scottsdale Community College that provided over 235,000 free summer meals to children experiencing food insecurity.
Werner didn’t attend the latest meeting, in-person or virtually. She also didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Arizona Capitol Times.
Several attendees said Werner has told others that she was misinterpreted and wasn’t commenting about Bilbrey, but many of them don’t believe her.
“It’s really simple. Make a public apology and move on,” said Eric Kurland, a former teacher in the district and a former Democratic candidate for the state Legislature.
More than 1,500 people have signed a petition calling for Werner’s resignation from the school board. Najafi said petition organizers could consider a recall campaign if they get around 4,000 signatures.
A recall campaign requires 25% of all votes cast at the last election for the office held by the elected official, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
“We’re not going to close the petition. We’re going to continue to get signatures,” Najafi said.
For many parents who attended the meeting this week, Werner’s hot mic incident was the latest of several that they have objected to. Werner has supported book bans by LGBTQ and Black authors and also advocated for conservative nonprofit PragerU curriculum in Scottsdale schools.
Community members also said they opposed Werner’s support for an Arizona Department of Education tip line, called the Empower Hotline, which is used to report teachers instructing “inappropriate lessons that detract from teaching academic standards.”
Najafi said she also had an issue with Werner being the chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.
Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board Vice President Mike Sharkey said he consulted with legal counsel to determine if the board could censure a board member, but was informed the board couldn’t proceed with an action item like that.
“I do not condone the conduct of the board member given what I heard at the board meeting on Aug. 5. I know what I heard, but only the speaker can know why she said what she said. This behavior does not reflect the board member ethics as adopted in policy … nor is it representative of SUSD’s core values,” Sharkey said.
MichiganLibrary group’s anti-censorship petition to be presented to Gov. Whitmer, lawmakers
https://www.mlive.com/politics/2025/0...
The Michigan Library Association is rallying residents to protect the First Amendment and the freedom to read in libraries around the state.
In response to continued efforts to ban books in local libraries, the state library association launched a petition in July that calls on the state’s elected leaders to provide greater library funding, encourage local governments and library boards to resist censorship and affirm the right to access information at Michigan’s public libraries.
The petition, which has garnered 3,100 signatures so far and can be signed here, will be delivered to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and members of the state Legislature next month.
...
In Michigan, the outrage has led to a public library briefly being defunded and its staff later quitting; a prosecutor considering charges against librarians for not removing a book; and other incidents. Efforts to remove books from public libraries in Michigan, and across the U.S., skyrocketed in 2021.
“Michigan’s public libraries serve everyone, not just the loudest voices,” said Dillon Geshel, interim executive director of MLA. “The Petition to Protect MI Right to Read was created to send a clear message to our elected officials that public libraries exist to reflect all of us, and every resident deserves the freedom to see themselves on the shelves.”
A poll conducted in June 2025 by Lansing-based polling firm EPIC-MRA showed strong and growing support for libraries and opposition to book bans, according to the MLA, which commissioned the June 2025 poll and a similar one in March 2023.
The latest survey included 846 voters and had a 3.5% margin of error. The polling showed:
79% of voters approve of the work libraries are doing (up from 71% in 2023).
75% trust librarians to decide what belongs in library collections.
82% agree that we need to protect the ability of young people to have access to books that help them learn about and understand different perspectives.
84% support current library policies on age-appropriate shelving.
“We’re seeing more organized efforts to control what people can read, and it’s happening right here in Michigan,” said Jenny Marr, MLA Board President and executive director of Capital Area District Libraries. “This petition reminds us that libraries are places of curiosity, growth, and empathy, and they’re worth defending.”
The petition will be presented sometime in October and calls on the governor’s office and state lawmakers to:
Uphold the First Amendment right to access information and reject censorship efforts targeting library collections
Trust librarians as trained, professional guides to age-appropriate content
Ensure public libraries reflect the full range of community voices and lived experiences
Increase support for state aaid to libraries and fund the Michigan eLibrary and statewide catalog, MeL and MeLCat, as well as other statewide library services in the Michigan budget
The Republican-controlled House, Democratic-controlled Senate and governor’s office are currently in negotiations over the state’s budget that begins Oct. 1. The state will face a government shutdown if these negotiations continue to stall and no budget is passed by midnight Sept. 30.
Only Senate Democrats are proposing to increase state aid to libraries, Geshel said. The budget proposals from House Republicans and Whitmer call for continuation funding with no increase or decrease.
The House Republican budget excludes the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) line item, which is needed for the Library of Michigan to expend federal dollars that are already awarded and allocated, Geshel said.
“The big concern for us right now when it comes to funding for Michigan libraries at the state level is ensuring that a final version of the state budget includes that LSTA line item,” Geshel said. “Because if it’s not in the budget, that would preclude the Library of Michigan from spending these federal funds that are already allocated for really critical statewide programs like the Michigan eLibrary and the Michigan eLibrary Catalog.”
Michigan’s eLibrary includes databases to support education and workforce development. The Michigan eLibrary Catalog, also known as MeLCat, is the statewide interlibrary loan program that ensures public libraries can borrow materials from others in the state.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseHonors students should be able to handle adult content AND teenagers say these things ALL the time!
Parents say book assigned to Abilene HS English class is ‘disgusting’, ‘inappropriate’ for s--ual content
https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/ne...
Parents say a book assigned to an Abilene High School English class is “disgusting” and “inappropriate” due to s--ual content.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, a book about a 9-year-old boy who loses his father in the 9/11 terrorism attacks, was recently assigned reading for the Freshman Honors English class, with a pending quiz to follow.
However, when parents saw the reading material, many of them did not allow their students to finish the book or the assignment, saying the content was “disgusting” and “not appropriate”
One parent posted select pages from the assigned reading to social media, saying he believes the book, “promotes grooming by pedo’s among other vulgar acts.”
Some of the alleged inappropriate quotes these parents are raising concern about read as follows:
(view spoiler)
After hearing concerns from parents, Abilene ISD decided to remove the book from required reading and end the assignment, saying “it was brought to our attention today that there was language in this week’s assigned reading excerpt that included s--ual innuendos and offensive language. This reading is no longer required for class, and there will not be a quiz or assignment over this reading. . .this passage from the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close-was not age appropriate for high school freshman. We apologize for this mistake.”
Abilene ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn made a long statement on the issue on his social media pages in defense of his teachers, claiming a lot of the quotes parents have issues with were taken out of context.
For example, the quote with the word “pussy” that was highlighted by parents is referring to a cat, not anything s--ual.
Dr. Kuhn does agree that the book should be restricted to ages 17 and up and that it probably should not have been assigned to a freshman class, but he does not believe the extreme backlash is warranted.
“My teachers aren’t demons,” Dr. Kuhn insists.
Read the full statement from Dr. Kuhn below:
"And I get to my hotel room and find some social media commenter calling my teachers “demons” because they assigned an chapter of the amazing book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as a reading passage for a freshman honors English class. This is a book written in the voice of a nine-year-old boy who lost his dad on 9/11 in the terrorist attack on the twin towers. It’s an award winning book. But the passage has the word “shit” in it. And it has a vulgar term that I’m told the teacher was unfamiliar with it. And it has a crude joke about talking butts, which I was a nine-year-old boy and that’s the kind of crudeness we giggle at, so the author was pretty spot on. It also has the word “pussy” but that was what the kid called his cat, but the Facebook post highlighted it as part of making a case that this book was inappropriate.
Thing is, it’s likely valid that this book should be restricted to older kids—17 and 18 year olds. It’s worth noting that this was assigned to only the honors kids because the other passage that the class was reading—also related to 9/11–was at too easy a reading level. So these poor teachers are trying to find something for advanced kids to read, and they don’t have time, and they’re making a good faith effort to push kids to Meets and Masters because they care (and if our A-F grade is too low, there is outrage over that too). And they pick this award-winning book. They decide one “shit” is tolerable. They aren’t offended by the word “pussy” because it literally isn’t a bad word in the context. They get it approved by a colleague.
And they are called “DEMONS.” (Ironically, in the comments of the outrage post, they’re also called “assholes,” which is literally worse than “anus,” which is one of the words the parent highlighted and took offense to, but nobody scolded the commenter for that vulgarity. What’s good for the goose… Commenters also typed “wtf” and “WTH,” which mean “what the fuck” and “what the hell” but nobody accused them of “grooming” children. Selective outrage, anyone.
My teachers aren’t demons. They may have made a mistake in assigning this book to 15-year-olds rather than 17-year-olds, and for that there are people online saying they need to be fired. Today Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close is likely temporarily coming off our library shelves while we review our book challenge policies. Read the book. It’ll make you cry."
Florida in direct violation of their own policy
Escambia School Board may eliminate citizen-based book review committees
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/...
Three of the five Escambia County School Board members have agreed to do away with citizen-based book review committees.
During the school board’s Thursday workshop, District 1 representative Kevin Adams presented a proposed motion that directs ECPS Supt. Keith Leonard to eliminate the committees that review challenged books.
Tom Harrell and Kevin Fetsko both expressed support of the motion.
If passed, Adams said the measure will speed up the school district’s challenged book review process. The board will vote on the matter at the school board's regular meeting set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at the J.E. Hall Center.
“The governor, the attorney general, the state board of education are not going to hold the book review committee responsible but hold board members responsible,” Adams said, speaking of the state officials' crackdown on what has been deemed “pornographic” content in some media center and other books.
Escambia school book challenges: Escambia school board wants to speed up the process of reviewing challenged library books
Harrell, the District 5 representative, said in his opinion, the book review committee process in its current form is not effective.
“It’s cumbersome, … costing the district a lot of money because we have to buy copies of those books, so I support the resolution,” he said.
Harrell’s stance is not new. At other meetings, board members have agreed that the book challenge review process takes too long.
Before supporting the proposed motion, Fetsko of District 2 consulted Board Attorney Ellen Odom on the legality of doing away with the book review committees. She responded that some school districts do not have committees.
“I’m still doing research and talking to my constituents,” said Carissa Bergosh of District 4, who added she encourages public engagement and was still on the fence about the proposal.
“I agree the process needs to be streamlined but I’m still ‘reviewing’ the book review committees,” she said.
David Williams of District 3 told other board members he would let them know his stance on the issue on Tuesday night.
Odom told board members the proposed motion would require an amendment or revision of current board policy.
Escambia County's school district had hundreds of books challenged under its previous book review policy, and 219 challenges were active with many of those books unavailable to be read by students. Of those active challenges, 143 titles have now been banned with the board's action, and 11 of those books were supposed to remain available during the review process.
The remaining 76 books not banned but previously challenged will now have to be reviewed by school library staff and then the superintendent, who will decide whether to recommend it for approval to the school board.
Under the previous policy, school district committees made up of parents and staff had completed 66 challenges and had decided that 25 of those books should stay in school libraries, in some cases with age restrictions.
On Sept. 16, the board will also vote on revisions and updates to Policy 2520, which deals with the selection and adoption of instructional materials, and Policy 2522, which deals with challenges to the adoption or use of instructional, library or reading list materials.
Board members, Leonard and Odom, made tweaks to the proposed updates during the board’s July 10 workshop.
Language in the school district's overall policy about the selection and adoption of instructional materials now states “...There shall be no se-ually explicit content in instructional and supplemental materials or required reading lists. This does not apply to materials approved by the state Department of Education for required courses in human reproduction.”
Some other proposed policy updates will:
Require books that other Florida public school districts have banned also be removed from Escambia County schools. Only the school board can review, select or return challenged books to media centers or classrooms.
Establish a standard for selecting new books or instructional materials for media centers and schools.
Require that the coordinator of media services and the media specialist at each school or center must certify in writing to the superintendent that all media center acquisitions of books, supplemental materials and reading lists do not contain s--ually explicit content.
Forbid books that contain explicit or gratuitous descriptions or depictions of s--ual activity or s--ual adventurism, the glorification of violence, self-harm or suicide at any grade level.
Change language to “Acquisition of Instructional Materials” from “Purchase of Instructional Materials” to cover any donated items.
Require the superintendent to maintain a list of all adopted instructional material.
Allow the superintendent, in consultation with the school district's coordinator of media services, to dismiss a book challenge that is "frivolous or lacking in reasonable merit."
Allows no profanity in elementary school collections, limited or mild swear words used strategically and purposefully and not gratuitously in middle school collections and no excessive profanity or overly gratuitous in high school collections.
...
PennsylvaniaWest Shore sends library policy back amid criticism Shakespeare works could be impacted
https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/ne...
West Shore school officials opted to send a library resources policy back to the policy committee for more work.
School administrators previously warned that the restrictions against profanity, vulgarity and s--ual acts were so vague that they could impact works by Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare.
The policy was on the agenda for its first reading at the board's Thursday meeting. Board President Kelly Brent, however, told the audience that it had been tabled.
“It has a little more work,” she said, adding that the policy was expected to be considered by the board at one of its October meetings.
The policy, which critics say could limit access to large swaths of classic and modern literature, was written by the district’s solicitor but modeled in part on a similar policy passed by the Adams County-based Bermudian Springs school board.
Bermudian Springs’ policy, in turn, was drafted by the Independence Law Center, a Harrisburg-based Christian law firm that advocated for such bans — as well as anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
In May, West Shore Assistant Superintendent Mathew Gay said the policy’s broad language could result in banning books by Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare due to their references to s-x.
“[With this policy], I’m not sure we don’t inadvertently say you can no longer teach 'The Tempest,’” he told the board's policy committee in May.
On Aug. 21, the board’s policy committee agreed to add the language about profanity, vulgarity and s-- acts. It was then introduced at that night’s school board meeting.
During that policy meeting, Committee Chair Heidi Thomas, who also serves on the board, said she believed the Bermudian Springs’ language addressed concerns about vagueness and was satisfied with moving it along to the full board.
Abigail Tierney, a board and committee member, continued to voice concerns about the new language, saying that it was confusing and redundant. She nonetheless did not object to adding the language to the policy.
Tierney also raised concerns about the use of ILC language in the bill.
West Shore officials met with the Independence Law Center and the Education Law Center in the spring of 2024, but the board decided against hiring either as a special counsel.
Board and committee member Mandy Davis asked if the high school and middle school sections could be lumped together. She also expressed concerns that books should be kept at the recommended age level, to which Tierney agreed.
After some additional discussion, the board settled on some changes to the policy. If a work depicts nudity, the high school and middle school students can only access it for science, health or classical works of art. Something must be covering certain parts of the body for elementary and intermediate students to view a work.
Other edits were made, such as adding a line that says gifted materials will be added to the library collection and catalogued similarly to district-purchased items.
This policy also impacts teachers’ classroom libraries in the district. The officials also decided that this cannot prevent a child from bringing a book they want from home, even if it goes against the policy.
24 books were just banned at Mary Parsons High School (GA). The story is paywalled.https://www.mymcr.net/news/mp-removes...
PAYWALLED
QNPoohBear wrote: "IllinoisQuincy Public Library to give away banned books at 'Freed Between the Lines' event Oct. 2 – Muddy River News
https://muddyrivernews.com/local-happ......"
But not without controversy...
https://muddyrivernews.com/top-storie...
Some members of the Quincy Public Library Board of Trustees seemed completely unaware of the criticism levied against QPL by Quincy City Alderman Jake Reed on Monday night.
It was the sole speaker during the public comment section of their monthly meeting on Tuesday who asked them to address it.
The speaker implored them for transparency. But when Muddy River News asked for her name and spelling, because there are no microphones at board meetings, she refused to answer. MRN then checked with the Library staff the next day, they also did not have a record of her name.
“When no information is shared about decisions made behind closed doors, public trust is weakened,” the self-described lifelong patron of the library said. “I worry that this erosion of trust will ultimately affect community support for the library.”
...
What the board did talk about in public was a paraphrase of the comments by Alderman Reed. An exact text of his statement was not presented at the meeting.
Here is what Reed said Monday at the end of the council meeting, when every council member gets a chance to speak.
“I want to let the public know some additional information about the Quincy Public Library’s ‘Freed Between the Lines’ event on October 2nd,” Reed began, “The presentation that was presented to the Human Rights Commission a few weeks ago, showcasing the books that would be handed out, revealed that this event was not simply about free speech and our First Amendment rights. But, was, in fact, a politically motivated attack on the family and promotion of dangerous ideology. The ambassador from the library made false claims about conservatives. She claimed the banning of books was the result of right-wingers not wanting the public to read books from black authors, and that the book “Maus” was banned because they want to hide the evils of the Nazis, implying that Trump himself is a Nazi sympathizer or a Nazi.”
Reed took particular issue with ‘This Book Is Gay’ and held it up as he spoke.
“This book is highly inappropriate for kids. It seems to me that the library, apparently, wants your kid to read this. I was told by the library presenter that day that a 13-year-old LGBT kid needs this book. And I think not.”
He also questioned why QUANADA (Quincy Area Network Against Domestic Abuse) was partnering with QPL for the event.
“Why QUANADA and the Quincy Public Library want to promote this to kids is disturbing. We need a library, and we need a battered women’s shelter. It would be a shame to have their promotion of such smut, stain their reputation.”
During the trustees’ open conversation before the public at Tuesday’s library board meeting, the board’s Secretary/Treasurer, Megan Duesterhaus, who is also the head of QUANADA, said the event’s policy is just like library policy; children and teens cannot get adult books without their parents.
She also said children could not attend the adult banned books event in September unless their parents brought them with them. MRN noted age restrictions on both events in its earlier reporting.
“It’s not like ‘hey, kids come in,’ you need your parents with you,” she said.
Duesterhaus said they had not released a list of the book giveaway.
“We’re embargoing it so it’s more exciting,” she told her fellow trustees. “The effort has been to make it so that anyone who comes would be able to find at least one book they would personally like.”
Duesterhaus added that when it came to the presentation Reed referenced, “The feedback that I heard is that everyone in the room besides Jake was totally fine.”
She further said the presenter reported back to having a “very cordial conversation” with Reed afterwards.
Kelly Mays, who serves on both the library board and city council, acknowledged there was some confusion about what books are available to what age groups.
“The public does care,” Mays said. “I received several communications today.”
Duesterhaus said it is absolutely false that any books that are categorized for teens or adults would be given to children.
The title that Reed displayed during the council meeting, for example, is classified as YA, which means Young Adult literature and is written for readers between 12 and 18 years old.
North CarolinaCleveland County Schools students lose current access to public library resources
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/c...
Beginning Oct. 22, Cleveland County Schools students will no longer have access to library materials using their student lunch numbers or ID.
The school system has cited a new bill, which requires local boards to limit student access to only age-appropriate materials, as the reason for the change.
House Bill 959 was signed into law July 1 by Gov. Josh Stein with the intention of promoting internet safety, requiring social media literacy instruction in schools and regulating the use of wireless communication devices by students during instructional time, according to the bill.
In section one, it states local boards of education should "limit access by students to only age-appropriate subject matter and materials."
Mauney Memorial Library in Kings Mountain made a Facebook post Sept. 10, notifying residents of the decision.
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, all books checked out using a Cleveland County Student ID (lunch number) must be returned by October 1st, 2025 and all Student ID library accounts will be deactivated on October 22nd, 2025," the post said. "Students interested in checking out Mauney Library materials can have a library card issued to them with a parent or legal guardian present."
In an email from the library director, Christina Martin, she said students were able to take out a limit of 10 physical items from their home library and had use of the library databases.
...
Students were able to access audio books, online resources that included test prep, homework help and more.
Comments on the post questioned why the decision had been made and expressed outrage and dismay.
In an email from Cleveland County Schools Attorney Leigha Sink, she referenced section one of the bill that said boards of education must have policies in place to limit access by students to only age-appropriate subject matter and materials.
"Since there is no way to meaningfully control what materials students check-out within the public library system, they were no longer able to facilitate the creation of these student accounts," she said.
The ability for students to have access to library resources using their student ID has been in place for at least a decade.
"NC Cardinal is a public library program that was created over a decade ago to help combine resources of North Carolina’s public libraries, sharing an online catalog with people throughout the state," Sink said. "As a part of the program, school systems previously shared a list of student ID numbers with NC Cardinal so students could create public library accounts using their ID numbers in lieu of other proof of residency documents."
Sink said Cleveland County Schools encourages students, under the guidance of their parents or guardian, to frequent public libraries and make use of their resources.
...
She said Cleveland County Schools has age-appropriate materials that have been carefully selected students by teachers and administrators as well as robust school-based libraries where students can select materials for themselves.
"Furthermore, in partnership with the Cleveland County Schools Educational Foundation, through PALS (Partners Aligned for Literacy Success) and the United Way’s My Home Library Project, we support many initiatives to promote literacy in our community and ensure students have ample access to books," Sink said.
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These private "international" colleges have been an issue for years in Canada and especially in British Columbia. And frankly, if Pacific Link College were really political neutral and as Aaron Dpenha claims, the enrolled students would have had a choice for which politician running in the by-election they volunteered and students who were really uncomfortable with politics would also have been able to do alternatives (and no, a political neutral college would in my opinion NOT force students to ONLY volunteer with one politician, with one political party).
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Up yours Andrew Kolvet, up yours Donald Trump, you are a bunch of frigging dicktators (spelling deliberate) who clearly think that free speech is only for those with whom they agree. Glad ABC and Disney is reinstating Jimmy Kimmel (and I hope that Kimmel will also not be muzzled or face further threats, but that is likely a pipe dream).
Good news. No one likes this guy. Oklahoma schools test scores are the lowest in the nation, parents even Christian ones believe religion should be taught at home not in public school; and he was caught looking at naughty videos at a meeting. He's not going away completely though so no one can relax but they can hope for a brighter future for their schools.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
Oklahoma superintendent who put Trump Bibles in classrooms resigns
Ryan Walters, who has led public schools in Oklahoma since 2022, has put Donald Trump-endorsed Bibles into classrooms and required teaching 2020 election conspiracies.
He is leaving the post to lead the Teacher Freedom Alliance (TFA), which says its mission is to help teachers develop “free, moral, and upright American citizens”. On its website, the group is touting Walters as its new leader.
“Walters fearlessly fights the woke liberal union mob. TFA will take the fight straight to the unions and we will not stop,” the website says. “Together, we will build a national movement that is centered on freedom and common sense, not on bullying and intimidation. Educators will now be able to break free.”
...
On Fox News, Walters said he wanted to “destroy the teachers unions” and “build an army of teachers to defeat the teachers unions once and for all”. He said his plan was to take the fight he started in Oklahoma to a national scale.
A local Fox affiliate reported tallied more than 400 national media appearances in the past two years by Walters as he sought to raise his profile nationally while pursuing a Christian nationalist agenda in Oklahoma, rejecting church and state separation and installing Christian viewpoints in governance.
Walters has repeatedly pushed Christianity into public schools in Oklahoma. He once tried to require schools to play a video of him praying. He advocated for the country’s first Catholic public charter school. This week, he called for chapters of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA in all Oklahoma schools.
He also has fought against teachers, particularly claiming they are pushing “woke indoctrination” in Oklahoma schools. He wants teachers coming from liberal states to include an “America first” certification. He put prominent rightwing figures such as the activist behind Libs of TikTok and the leader of the Heritage Foundation on state education committees. Libs of TikTok and other conservative influencers advocated for Walters to become US education secretary under Trump.
PETITION: Restore the Right to Read at DoDEA SchoolsSign the petition to support H.R.5527 and stop the DoDEA book bans in schools on military bases in the US and abroad.
https://action.everylibrary.org/rtrdo...
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So this "person" has been relived of his current duties but has not been fired. He needs to be publicly identified and relentlessly, continuously publicly shamed (all over the media, all over the internet, all over social media).
Florida’s culled library book list may be an ‘undercount,’ critics sayThe state’s list of removed books shows none in Hillsborough, Pasco or Pinellas. But there’s a catch.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
No books in Pasco, Pinellas or Hillsborough county were removed in response to objections raised by parents or members of the public during the 2024-25 school year, according to the report.
But some watching closely are concerned the list is misleading.
The report only includes books removed by a school board’s decision. It does not include books that were removed in some libraries by review committees after more than 600 books were placed on review; or in the case of Hillsborough County, the 55 books removed by Superintendent Van Ayres this June, for example.
Some counties listed some of the books on the list of 55 books that were removed, but did not state the reason why.
“The state promises transparency and accountability, and yet this list continues to be an undercount for the books that have been removed due to pressure from the state, threats from the state, and vague, broadly worded laws that are problematic and step on the rights of our students,” said Stephana Ferrell, an Orange County parent and director of research and insight with the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
...
Ferrell pointed to hundreds of titles removed across the state after the state board of education issued stern warnings to Ayres, and worries the new list will be used to pressure districts to remove even more books. She said it contradicts an Aug. 13 federal ruling that said books needed to be considered in their entirety.
“Most of the books that appear on this list that have been removed did not go through a process where they were judged in their entirety by a committee review,” she said.
PEN America’s Florida Director William Johnson said in a statement he was deeply concerned by the list, including titles by Nobel Prize winners and National Book Award honorees.
Hillsborough County School Board Chairperson Jessica Vaughn, who in a recent Facebook livestream read off some titles that had been removed in some Hillsborough County libraries, said the messaging coming out from the state is contradictory.
“It’s the antithesis of the learning environment we want to cultivate in our schools,” she said.
Florida's Escambia County fights for the FirstEscambia School Board's 'privilege' fight continues
https://www.wuwf.org/text/local-news/...
Current and former Escambia County School Board members this week went to a federal appeals court as they continue seeking to be shielded from testifying in a long-running legal battle about removing or restricting access to books in school libraries.
Lawyers filed a notice of appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell on Sept. 8 rejected arguments that what is known as “legislative privilege” protected the current and former board members from giving depositions.
The appeal is the second time that the School Board has gone to the Atlanta-based appeals court after Wetherell has refused to issue protective orders. A three-judge panel of the appeals court in July also refused to shield the school board members, but it did not focus on the legislative privilege issue.
Instead, the panel said it did not have legal “jurisdiction” to consider the case because the school board — not the individual board members — has been the party in district court. After that ruling, five current and former school board members filed separate motions in August seeking protective orders and to quash subpoenas.
But Wetherell on Sept. 8 reiterated his earlier opinion that they were not shielded from testifying. The earlier opinion was issued in November.
...
An amended version of the lawsuit filed last month alleged the school board removed or restricted access to books “based on its disagreements with the ideas expressed in those books” and that the decisions “disproportionately targeted books by or about people of color and/or LGBTQ people.”
As part of the case, the plaintiffs have sought to take testimony from school board members. But lawyers for current and former board members Kevin Adams, Paul Fetsko, Patricia Hightower, William Slayton, and David Williams filed the motions last month seeking to be shielded by legislative privilege.
Local officials in Florida worry they could face suspension if they oppose DeSantishttps://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/...
Some elected officials in two Central Florida counties share the same border and the same dilemma: vote their conscience — or risk losing their positions.
Board members in Manatee and Hillsborough counties worry Gov. Ron DeSantis might suspend them if they take action his administration opposes.
"As terrible as it is that there's a dystopian scenario where people could just remove people from office for disagreements over vague, burdensome language, it's still the fact,” said George Kruse, chair of the Manatee County Commission, at a recent meeting. "It's the fact that we're dealing with right now.”
And in Hillsborough County: “If I vote to remove these books, it’s not because I believe it’s right but because I am under duress and facing explicit threats of legal actions, including possible arrest or removal from office,” said Jessica Vaughn, chair of the school board.
The state Constitution allows the governor to suspend local government officials in specific situations. Those are for “malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform the member’s official duties, or commission of a felony.”
State Senate approval makes the removal permanent, unless they're later reelected.
Historically, governors have only used this power to respond to criminal activity.
But DeSantis already has a couple of controversial suspensions under his belt. He’s booted two progressive state attorneys from their seats. He accused both Democrats of neglect of duty and incompetence, but critics blasted the moves as politically motivated.
“If you're a local official in Florida, you need to be careful, because if you openly defy the governor or even if you think it's an open legal question … it's possible you may find yourself being removed.” Aubrey Jewett, University of Central Florida political science professor,
The governor’s office didn’t respond to questions on whether it would have actually taken action in the Manatee and Hillsborough county cases — or whether it believes it legally can do so. The state Department of Education pushed back on Vaughn’s comments.
There’s a debate over whether DeSantis could. Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor, says local officials' concerns are not unreasonable.
“If you're a local official in Florida, you need to be careful, because if you openly defy the governor or even if you think it's an open legal question … it's possible you may find yourself being removed,” Jewett said.
While the governor’s hold over the Legislature has weakened, the Senate has yet to go against one of his suspensions. And Jewett pointed out that DeSantis appointed a number of state judges.
He believes it's "very unlikely” the governor would be overridden.
"What's happening here in these two counties is happening all over the state," he said. "And it's what we've seen coming out of the DeSantis administration and the Republican Legislature over the last four or five years, which is centralizing authority in Tallahassee, taking away home rule and discretion from local governments and threatening local officials with removal."
...
[I] Hillsborough County, school board officials voted to remove two books from district libraries: “Blankets” by Craig Thompson and “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins.
This comes after its superintendent was called to testify before state education officials in June about the books on his schools' shelves. They warned him about potential repercussions if some weren't removed. The pressure has not lifted.
“What the law does require is that districts have an established, transparent process for reviewing and addressing objections to materials. Suggesting otherwise misrepresents the law and misleads the public."
Nathalia Medina, Florida Department of Education press secretary
Stephana Ferrell, a book access advocate, said she understands the concerns.
“Our elected school board members have a valid concern regarding the threats that have been made,” said Ferrell, co-founder and director of research and insight for the Florida Freedom to Read Project. “There is a history of them removing duly elected officials.”
Beyond the state attorneys, DeSantis also removed Broward County School Board members from office following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, accusing them of mismanaging school safety funds.
In these cases, he replaced progressive-leaning officials with his conservative appointees.
But Ferrell is not sure if removing officials over what books are kept on shelves would meet constitutional requirements.
And, in a Tuesday statement emailed to WUSF, the state Department of Education said Florida law doesn’t authorize the “removal of a school board member because they decline to take a book out of circulation.”
“What the law does require is that districts have an established, transparent process for reviewing and addressing objections to materials,” wrote Nathalia Medina, the press secretary. “Suggesting otherwise misrepresents the law and misleads the public."
Medina continued: "Parents expect schools to provide students with age-appropriate, factual information, not ideological distortions or s--ually explicit content. The Department will continue to hold school districts to those expectations under the law."
State school officials have castigated districts that have kept books they object to on their shelves, regardless of their processes.
“I expect and hope that these books will be removed in the next two weeks,” Board Chairperson Ben Gibson told the Hillsborough County superintendent in June, as quoted by the Tampa Bay Times. “If they’re not removed, then I’m going to ask the department and I’ll ask the attorney general to use every tool within their disposal to make sure that p---graphic materials are not in our schools.”
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Tell the Alabama Public Library Services Board: Reject the Proposed Administrative Code Amendmenthttps://www.readfreelyalabama.org/apl...
What on earth? How is Les Miserables "DEI"? To Kill a Mockingbird Pulled from Leander ISD Classrooms due to "anti-DEI" SB12
Senate Bill 13 isn't the only new law wreaking havoc on Texas schools.
https://franklinstrong.substack.com/p...
In advance of next week's Banned Books Week, PEN America has released their latest report on book bans. However, keep in mind PEN defines a book ban as "the removal of a book from the school shelves either temporary or permanent." Their numbers come from reports of school book bans reported directly to them and those reported in the media. Their numbers do not count quiet/silent censorship and/or simply unreported/unaccounted for bans or books banned in public libraries.I disagree with their findings based on a wider range of reports. South Carolina and Utah have state sponsored school book ban laws, Florida has government pressure and ridiculous draconian laws, Texas has government approved bans and ridiculous draconian laws, Oklahoma had a brainless hypocrite in charge but he's gone now so hopefully things will improve there. Tennessee has ridiculous laws, Alabama, Iowa and Idaho follow with pages of book bans. Stephen King the most banned author? What about Ellen Hopkins and Jodi Picoult? Sarah J. Maas? They're going by individual titles and not the number of times those authors' books were removed from schools.
I do agree book bans are on the rise and their assessment " Never before have so many politicians sought to bully school leaders into censoring according to their ideological preferences, even threatening public funding to exact compliance. Never before has access to so many stories been stolen from so many children."
(Except maybe in the 1950s when publishers were probably afraid to even publish anything from the blacklist or that MIGHT be construed as Communism? That leads me to another story today.)
https://pen.org/report/the-normalizat...
And in response to McCarthyism 2.0, Hundreds of celebrities relaunch a McCarthy-era committee to defend free speech
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/nx-s1-...
https://www.committeeforthefirstamend...
Pittsburgh-area schools grapple with book challenges as bans reach unprecedented levels nationwide |https://www.post-gazette.com/news/edu...
...
Pine-Richland was most recently at the center of controversy surrounding library books. School directors in March passed major amendments to a library book policy to include changes to the reconsideration process if a book is challenged. It also increased the timeline for purchasing books and added language regarding parental rights.
The changed policy came after 14 books in the middle and high school libraries were challenged in October 2023. The challenges launched a review of the novels. By April 2024 Superintendent Brian Miller determined the books could remain in libraries.
After that determination was made, board members chose to review the policy, ultimately making major changes. But it led to intense board meetings that lasted for hours and where residents, and at times school directors, would argue.
The Blackhawk Area School District in Beaver County also saw 12 books challenged in 2023.
The challenges launched a review of the district’s library book policy and changes were made to the book review process while allowing students and parents to challenge books that are not compatible with “their values or fundamental religious beliefs,” the policy read. The policy was eventually reverted back to its original form.
...
Key takeaway from PENAmerica's report:Just 3 states are responsible for 80% of known school book bans
https://www.fox4news.com/news/pen-ame...
Escambia School Board's 'privilege' fight in book removal case continueshttps://wusf.org/education/2025-10-01...
Current and former Escambia County School Board members this week went to a federal appeals court as they continue seeking to be shielded from testifying in a long-running legal battle about removing or restricting access to books in school libraries.
Lawyers filed a notice of appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell on Sept. 8 rejected arguments that what is known as "legislative privilege" protected the current and former board members from giving depositions.
'Bans are disheartening’: US author criticises Dorset school’s removal of her book about racehttps://www.theguardian.com/education...
Many book bans could be judging titles mainly by their covershttps://theconversation.com/many-book...
*sigh* Bad news from Florida
Kelly Jensen of BookRiot reports:
"A District Court judge rules that neither library patrons nor authors have First Amendment rights when it comes to library collections."
https://bookriot.com/parnell-vs-escam...
I almost missed this one. If they weren't so busy banning Harry Potter, they would learn a lesson from Mr. Weasley's wise advice : "Don't trust anything if you can't see where it keeps its brain."Honestly. How stupid can you get using A.I. to ban BOOKS? I guess the answer is: not stupid enough until everyone loses their brains and A.I. thinks for us all the time. I'd love to know how Les Miserables counts as DEI!
Texas School Administrators Use A.I. To Ban Books Like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
"Leander Independent School District's administrators tell educators to "pause" use of 40 books, including numerous classroom classics.
https://bookriot.com/leander-sb-13/
...
"At least 26 of the authors of the 40 books are BIPOC and/or Latine. In other words, more than half of the list specifically targets marginalized writers. Numerous LGBTQ+ authors are also included."
"As reported by Frank Strong, what makes this case even more infuriating is that district officials used Artificial Intelligence to create their list, allowing them to abdicate responsibility for the decision to an even further degree. First, they can blame state legislation for the removal of books, then they can blame A.I. for identifying these specific titles."
"Strong, one of the founders of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, was first the sound the alarm about the removal of these books. He writes:
According to two district sources, AI was used to measure instructional texts against a rubric that took into account “DEI content.” The books must be removed from all classrooms, and cannot be used as instructional resources—either as texts read in class or as choice books in classroom libraries. Though the books have received no formal challenge, they are currently awaiting further review."
"One district teacher [said] that their principal suggested they 'remove any other books that may related to the same themes/ideas/topics as the ones currently being removed.'"
...
"Per Fox 7, administrators at LISD used A.I. to begin their initial title culling from a larger list. They then did a “manual review” for the list of 40 books.
A source familiar with LISD noted that school board members were not made aware of the administration’s plans to “pause” book use prior to the email educators received. Given the power that the state has passed on to school boards in Texas, this story raises even more questions about where and why administrators would bypass their own boards in demanding compliance in advance.
There is always an opportunity to push back, and given that administrators in LISD noted the removal of these books is a “pause,” it is especially crucial to speak up and out and get those titles back on shelves."
https://bookriot.com/leander-sb-13/
Kiss Number 8 was a lot for me and I hesitated giving it to my niece when she was only 15 but I did it anyway because I wanted her to LEARN something about what it was like when Mom and Dad were younger and growing up in Catholic communities in the northeast and how to choose the right partner, what NOT to do to "prove" you're into boys, and all the lessons the book teaches. I decided to give the book to my niece and if she had questions or concerns she'd ask her mom because that's what healthy, normal parents do with their kids.
From BookRiot's Literary Activism NewsletterKelly Jensen reports: "The Average Age of America’s Most-Banned Books Is Older Than a High School Senior!"
https://bookriot.com/the-average-age-...
Amanda Jones, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America librarian who has been fighting against censorship for years, is among TIME Magazine’s 100 Next. https://time.com/collections/time100-...
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
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Hey Pete Hoekstra you stupid stuffed shirt!! The anti American sentiment in Canada is Donald ..."
Proof that just about everyone in Trump world is pretty dumb. Being surprised that Canadians are unhappy with the country that says it wants to annex them by force is akin to being surprised that water is, indeed, wet.