Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london...
Librarians [i..."
I am glad that Ontario librarians are being proactive, although the main threat regarding Social Conservative (in other words dictatorial) and all encompassing book banning will in my opinion happen in Trump supporting provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan (or country wide if Adolf Trump, Hermann Vance and Josef Musk decide to invade us).
Oregon tries for an anti-book ban billLawmakers consider ‘Freedom to Read’ bill as latest attempt to limit book bans in Oregon schools - OPB
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/0...
Proponents point to historic highs in book ban attempts, largely targeting people of color, women and LGBTQ+ communities. Opponents argue it should be up to the parents.
This time last year, Oregon lawmakers came tantalizingly close to passing Senate Bill 1583 before it died last minute.
The 2024 bill would have blocked school boards and other school officials from removing or refusing to offer library books or textbooks simply because they contain the perspective of, or are written by, members of protected classes, such as people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals or religious minorities.
As Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, put it in a hearing this week, lawmakers were “an hour and a half from getting it passed.” Instead, the bill — which passed the Senate on a party-line vote — got stuck in committee on the House side as Republican delay tactics effectively ended the legislative session early.
This year, Senate Bill 1098 is picking up the torch.
What proponents are calling the “Freedom to Read” bill would prohibit book bans and other forms of censorship in Oregon public schools if the attempt constitutes discrimination. That means a book couldn’t be banned based on race, national origin, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical or mental disability, military status, or marital or family status. The bill had its first hearing Monday morning.
The bill prohibits discrimination as defined by existing state law when government authorities make decisions about textbooks, instructional or program materials, and library books used in Oregon’s public schools.
Several groups and Democratic lawmakers are backing Senate Bill 1098, including ACLU Oregon, the Oregon Education Association, Latino Network, Basic Rights Oregon and Parents Defending Schools and Libraries.
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More than 100 people have already shared their thoughts on the revamped bill. There’s a mixed bag of support and opposition, with about a quarter of the submitted testimony speaking against it.
Those who support it say the bill protects First Amendment rights, key foundations of democracy, school expertise and resources, and student wellbeing and academic success.
Bridget Tyler is a mother and writer from Corvallis. She testified in favor of the bill, she wrote, because “the future of our state, our country, and our planet rests on raising well-educated young people who are both well-informed and willing to discuss ideas, whether they agree with them or not.”
Tyler said she and her daughter came face-to-face with censorship efforts recently when some local parents objected to the musical planned for her daughter’s school. Tyler concluded that young people appreciate being given the opportunity to explore difficult issues with the support of adults, rather than having them strictly forbidden. “I think we owe it to all of the children of Oregon to create an environment in which they are educated and trusted,” she wrote, “so that they, in turn, can trust us.”
Finn Johnson spoke in favor of the bill on Monday, offering his perspective as an educator and advocate who is transgender. He argues that part of participating in a democracy is that we should be exposed to varying viewpoints and learn to respect them — even if they’re not the viewpoints we hold ourselves.
Johnson told OPB that arguments against the bill sound similar to defenses of school segregation in the mid-20th century. Now, America is facing another tipping point.
“We don’t want to move backwards in history,” he said, “at least I don’t. I only want to move forward. And I think that allowing a minority group of people who hold specific and sometimes vilifying opinions about marginalized groups shouldn’t impact school curricula.”
Those who oppose the bill largely argue parents should be the ones to decide what their children can read. They argue there is vulgar material currently offered in schools that is not age-appropriate. Some feel public schools may be pushing an agenda they don’t want their children exposed to.
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Rep. Travis Nelson, D-Portland, one of the many co-sponsors of the bill, testified Monday morning, responding to some of the concerns from those opposing the bill. He described the bill as a legal formality but a necessary step.
“We do have laws that require an inclusive selection of instructional materials, and generally we prohibit discrimination in education,” Nelson explained. He added later that the bill does not mandate what materials are presented.
The bill still allows parents and guardians to request to remove books, he said, and school administrators are free to consider those requests. If passed, the bill also will not prevent school boards or staff from considering age appropriateness, obscenity and educational value in selection decisions, which they already do.
“This legislation is a clear statement of our values as Oregonians,” Nelson said, adding that he was testifying as an openly LGBTQ+ Black man. “It embodies our commitment to creating an educational environment where every student can learn and grow and see themselves reflected in the stories and histories that shape our world.”
Censors of the day
Dianne Lamb
J Trimble from Roseburg submitted testimony on behalf of Moms for Liberty Douglas County.
Now the bad newsRadnor [Pennsylvania] bans three books in response to a parent’s challenge, including ‘Gender Queer’
1 parent?!
https://www.inquirer.com/education/ra...
paywalled
in 2022 parents filed a police report over books in schools including GenderQueer.
Hopefully someone can find out which three books were banned.
Kelly Jensen got the list:
Gender Queer
Fun Home
Blankets
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I love that BC liquor stores are pulling all 'red state' products — as in liquor produced in states run by Republican leaders and I hope this becomes a Canada wide thing and expands hugely. Go Canada and down with Trump et al!!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/prem...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cana...
A story on digital censorshiphttps://www.libraryfutures.net/censor...
Digital Censorship
Through analyzing content ban legislation, public hearings, public reports on student searches, and interviews with librarians from across the United States, we found that a vocal minority of activists are using "p----graphy" as a bogeyman to erode free speech and information access in schools and libraries.
Manybooks wrote: "https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...I love that BC liquor stores are pulling all 'red state' products — as in liquor produced in states run by Re..."
I live in a state that lives and dies by bourbon, but I support Canada 100% on this.
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I love that BC liquor stores are pulling all 'red state' products — as in liquor produced i..."
Thanks, ALL of this is entirely Donald Trump's fault and also the fault of those who chose to vote for him.
It is funny how anti refugee and anti immigrant Donald Trump is considering that his own great grandfather was an ILLEGAL ALIEN from Germany.
The news is of course not good but it's important to know what's happening. Of course we must ask who decides what is "explicit" and "harmful to minors"? And of course they'll hem and haw and the librarians will pull ALL LGBTQIA+ books, all popular YA books because you know anything more than a brief kiss on the cheek is explicit. Even though all these books have been vetted by editors, publishers, professional book reviewers and librarians and there I NO YOU KNOW WHAT in libraries!Georgia Senate passes bill removing legal protection for libraries providing 'explicit' materials to minors
Georgia state senators passed a Republican-backed bill that could open up librarians to misdemeanor charges for allowing minors to access explicit or “harmful” materials.
The Georgia State Senate voted 32-23 to pass Senate Bill 74 on Monday.
Current state law prohibits the distribution of materials that are s---ally explicit or otherwise harmful to minors, which the law defines as the representation or description of “nudity, (view spoiler) when it is “lacking in serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors,” “predominantly appeals to the (view spoiler) and is deemed “patently offensive” by adult standards of what is appropriate for minors. Public libraries and libraries operated at a school or university, however, are exempt from this law.
SB 74 would remove that exemption, meaning librarians could be found guilty of a misdemeanor offense unless they can demonstrate they made a good faith attempt to identify and remove minors’ access to inappropriate materials.
Republican State Sen. Max Burns, the lead sponsor of the bill, stressed his affinities for libraries and said the legislation would only seek to make librarians equal to other Georgians under the law.
“This is not a bill to penalize libraries or librarians. It’s a bill designed to protect children,” he said.
“It does not ban any book or any material from the library. It does not ban anything,” he added. “It does not limit access to material for adults, and its intent is not to put anyone in jail.”
He also emphasized a line in the bill that would find librarians guilty of breaking the law only if they “knowingly” provided minors access to explicit materials.
“You place children’s materials in children’s sections. You place youth materials in youth sections. You place any questionable material in adult sections,” he said, adding that store clerks already need to comply with this law.
He added that a “good faith attempt” to abide by the law could be putting a book in an adult section after someone has flagged a book in the children’s section as inappropriate.
Democratic State Sen. Emanuel Jones expressed concern that this law also extends to electronic material.
“My problem is you’re holding a librarian responsible for material that she or he may not even program, even know how to program the system. In the event someone else makes a mistake, they will be held liable for it,” he said.
Burns responded that libraries already have restrictions on accessing explicit content online.
Democratic State Sen. Elena Parent, who serves on the Senate Committee on Education and Youth, called the bill “misguided.”
“This legislation is not about protecting children. It’s much more about censorship, fear and government overreach into our institutions,” she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia has opposed the bill on similar grounds.
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Parent added that the definition of “harmful to minors” is “vaguely defined” and could be used to restrict access to works that delve into challenging and socially relevant topics.
“The issue is, who decides what is harmful? Literature, history, health, education and even classic works of fiction often contain discussions of sexuality and relationships,” she said. “Are we really wanting to turn our librarians into criminals for providing access to books that discuss topics like puberty, LGBTQ+ rights or the realities of sexual violence?”
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She added that schools and school districts have removed from their shelves works like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Beloved” and “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank because parents or administrators deemed them inappropriate for students.
Burns responded that the bill would not ban books but ensure that books are categorized in adult or children’s sections.
State Sen. Josh McLaurin, also a Democrat, said this is a fearmongering effort started by a fringe group of parents “who don’t want to see ordinary depictions of LGBTQ” or any topic related to sexuality depicted in materials accessed by their children, equating the push for this bill to the “fear toxin” in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins.”
McLaurin added that actually putting a librarian in jail would be a “political nuclear bomb,” saying that the real purpose of the bill is to give parents and prosecutors undue control over materials in libraries and where they’re placed instead of allowing libraries and technicians to “exercise independent judgment” under current State Board of Education regulations.
“So now it’s not up to the media techs and librarians whether a material is appropriate for children. It’s up to an elected solicitor,” he said.
In addition, McLaurin said the “affirmative defense” clause of the bill does not provide much comfort for librarians since they would need to go through a lengthy legal process anyway. “That’s something you have to prove by a preponderance of the evidence, once you’ve already been charged, once you’ve already retained a counsel, once you’ve already gone to court, and your trial, you get to tell a jury, ‘I was doing everything in my power to scrub the entire internet on EBSCOhost, by the way, and every printed material in a library with tens of thousands of volumes for anything that could possibly offend a single parent.'”
In response, Burns said this bill does not represent a “fringe idea,” adding that other states have made similar moves.
Commentary piece on cancel culture and book bansBook Banning in Canada Is Quiet, Systemic, and More Effective than Ever
https://thewalrus.ca/book-banning/
On Book Banning: Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy
PEN America's latest statement doesn't tell us anything we didn't already knowBook Bans in Schools Sweep Across Reading Levels, Genres and Topics, While Censorship Erases Stories about People of Color and LGBTQ Topics Most Often
New Analysis Shows Stories about Disabled People, Immigrants, Social Activism and Bullying Are Also Targets and Debunks Exaggerated Claims about Explicit S-x in Books
https://pen.org/press-release/book-ba...
This news slipped through the cracks. Blue states ban books too!https://www.providencejournal.com/sto...
North Smithfield - some parents sought to ban in recent years for their "alarming" content. [These] ran a wide gamut, according to a list compiled by Authors Against Book Bans.
They ranged from David Leviathan's "Two Boys Kissing," about an effort to beat a Guinness record; to Toni Morrison's "Beloved," about the impact of slavery; to Jonathan Safran Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,'' about a 9-year-old's quest to unlock a mystery after losing his father in the 9/11 attacks; to "Nineteen Minutes," Jodi Picoult's novel about a school shooting that asks the question: "Do we really ever know someone?"
In Westerly and North Kingstown, book removal efforts focused on "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe; and in Glocester, on "Rebound" by Kwame Alexander, a novel-in-verse, coming-of-age story about the diverse circle of friends made by the sons of a basketball star who died young.
In Gloucester [A] directive from the superintendent to school librarians to offer "age appropriate" materials to students, which the ACLU of Rhode Island believes would "encourage censorship efforts."
An ACLU letter to the superintendent called the directive "a troubling precedent" with a "chilling message" that is also unmanageable, since the recommended age range for any particular book does not take into account the "extremely varied reading, comprehension, and experiential level of children."
"After a parent of a student complained that her son had taken out a book that she considered to be age-inappropriate for him, Superintendent [Renee] Palazzo instructed the school librarians to ... work with [a software cataloging system] to identify a way to group your inventory by age," the letter said.
Since "parents themselves will have widely divergent views on what is appropriate reading material for their children ... it is unmanageable to give this supervisory and determinant role to librarians," the ACLU said in its letter.
Palazzo, in a response to the ACLU, said her directive came after a parent of a second grader said her son took out the book "Rebound" by Kwame Alexander, which is recommended for grades six through eight and deals with mature topics including skipping school, stealing, underage drinking and illegal drug use.
She said her aim was to "ensure our younger readers are choosing books that are of interest and also age appropriate," with on-going discussion about potentially sending "a permission slip" home if a young reader chooses a book containing more mature content.
BookRiot's Literary Activism newsletter has a bunch of new stories to share.New policy at Huntsville-Madison County library requires children to have parent’s permission for what they check out
https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/new-...
Beginning Monday, a new policy at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library will require children 17 and younger to have their parent’s or guardian’s permission for what they check out.
The new policy known as the ‘Younger Reader Card’ gives parents the ability to determine which level of access their child will have to books and items inside the library.
“All library cards issued to youth aged 17 and younger will require a parent or guardian to give guarantor authorization by submitting a Young Reader Card Waiver,” a section of the library’s website states.
The policy is being met with pushback from community members, with several setting up a protest at Big Spring Park on Sunday.
“We are losing the right to read here. This is just as step along the way, we know that the people who are pushing for these book bans are just trying to expand it even more,” said protest organizer Marisa Allison. “We are seeing evidence that they are trying to push back against books in the adult section so we all should be alarmed.”
Fellow protester John Stever said these policies are a slippery slope.
“Once censorship begins, where does it end?” said Stever. “That’s my concern, first amendment rights, the constitution, who decides what gets banned?”
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According to the library’s website, the level of access is up to the parents or guardians. The library said parents and guardians retain the right to decide which materials their child can or cannot access.
Protesters said they don’t blame the library as they feel that they are being forced to do what the Alabama Public Library System wants.
“Our library board has decided and made these policy changes in order to receive state funding,” said Allison. “In a lot of ways they’ve tied up the libraries in having to do these censorship changes.”
Corpus Christi Public Library (TX) will now be creating two separate sections: a teen section, for books appropriate to readers ages 13-18, and a “young adult” section, for books appropriate to readers 18-25.https://www.caller.com/story/news/loc...
Corpus Christi Public Libraries has an updated collection development policy — a move some believe may mean an end to lengthy discussions that have spanned more than a year on whether some of the material in the young adult section is s--ually inappropriate.
In a 6-3 vote Tuesday, the Library Board accepted a staff-recommended policy updated to reflect provisions related to exclusion of some types of material in the juvenile section and what will be a new teen section.
Leading up to Tuesday’s meeting, the board has in multiple meetings fallen into irreconcilable positions on updating the library’s collection development policy. A five-member majority has supported changes that would relocate some books with s--ual material they have described as explicit from the young adult section to the adult section of the library.
It was a way, they have asserted, to shield minors from s--ual subjects too mature for the age group, while also not banning them from the library.
Opponents have disputed a need to update the policy, saying it is the responsibility of parents of youth cardholders to monitor and make decisions on their child's reading material and the content of the books borrowed.
Critics have also raised questions on the subjectiveness of labeling material as s--ually explicit, and who decides.
The new policy includes verbiage excluding from the teen and juvenile sections books and other media that feature “explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative accounts of (view spoiler)
A definition of “harmful to minors” describes material as “1. Predominantly appeals to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of minors, and 2. Is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for minors, and 3. Is utterly without redeeming social importance for minors.”
Policy response
The Library Board serves in an advisory capacity, meaning that members make recommendations but don’t set policy.
Its support of the staff-recommended policy essentially reaffirms it.
It went into effect Wednesday, City Manager Peter Zanoni wrote in a memo to the City Council.
The concern has been about children, said board Chair Pat Craig, describing the policy as “long overdue.”
“It helps protect the kids, inform the parents and allows us to be able to focus on other things as well,” she said.
The board’s direction has been mired in 5-4 votes for months, the five-member majority comprising appointments made by the City Council in November 2023.
The five-member majority has consistently supported votes to change the library’s collection development policy and includes members who vocally expressed concerns about some of the material in the young adult section.
In the minority, members have sharply criticized some of the proposals put forward by some of the majority members — which, in one version that has since been discarded, would have barred minors from borrowing books with certain content entirely.
Members in the minority vote have advocated for maintaining the current policy, citing librarians’ expertise in making decisions for the library system.
The proposal affirmed by the board Tuesday does not call for removal of any books or making them physically inaccessible, city officials have said.
The library does not include in its collection p---graphy, as has been asserted by some, Library Director Laura Garcia said.
But there are many viewpoints on what is considered to be s---ally explicit, she said.
The 6-3 vote included the five members who have advocated for updates to the policy, some publicly backing relocating material they have described as s---ally explicit.
The six-member prevailing vote included a board member who has in the past not supported changes in the policy.
Jennifer Anderson, who joined the board a little more than a year ago, voted in favor of updating the policy.
She has historically been in favor of retaining the one that was already in place.
In remarks following the vote, Anderson reiterated her support of the existing policy and her trust in librarians. She doesn’t like the new policy, she said, but added that it was time for the board to pick up new business.
Board members have the opportunity to revisit the policy at a later time, Anderson said.
“I did vote for it because if we don’t pass the staff-recommended policy, we are going to talk about this forever,” she said. “We need to talk about other things — we all need to talk about other things.”
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Although not specific to the updated policy, library staff has been taking steps to address some of the concerns aired about content in the young adult section by breaking out from that collection a new section for teens.
The young adult section will remain in place.
There are also new youth library card options anticipated to become available later this year.
Those would provide parents options to restrict their children or teens to books in either the juvenile section or the teen and juvenile sections.
It would also provide an option for parents to allow their teens and children to borrow any books in the library’s collection.
Go teenagers!Residents in Huntington Beach, California, including two teenagers, are suing over book censorship in the public library.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/2...
Paywalled
In Lubbock Independent School District in Texas aA parent challenged the book "Bathe the Cat" by Alice B. McGinty, objecting to an illustration of two men holding hands with a baby. [parents of said baby]
The Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees ultimately voted 4-1 to uphold the district's decision to keep the book in school libraries.
The board acknowledged the parent's concerns but determined that removing the book would violate district policy and potentially legal standards.
Some board members suggested revisiting the policy to give parents more control over the books their children can access.
The Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees voted to keep a book a parent from Roscoe Wilson Elementary deemed to be inappropriate on the shelves.
At their regular meeting on Thursday evening, LISD trustees held a level-three grievance hearing to hear from Lloyd Zuniga about why Alice B. McGinty's "Bathe the Cat" should be removed from school libraries.
Zuniga said his son brings home books from the school's library to read at home with his family. On one occasion, his son brought home "Bathe the Cat," which sparked Zuniga's concern.
"I flipped through and seen some pictures," Zuniga said. "One in particular of two males holding hands while holding a baby."
Zuniga said the image didn't sit right with him, as the book was about cleaning around the house, and he double-checked with his wife to see if he was making an assumption. She said he wasn't.
He said he went to Roscoe Wilson's assistant principal, who pointed out that Zuniga could launch a complaint if he wanted to.
Zuniga said he was torn about whether he wanted to, as his son could have picked this book randomly or maybe he had already read the book.
"My daughter really kind of tipped the scale," Zuniga said. "My daughter said, 'Oh dad, the librarian read this (book) to us last year to every class.'"
Zuniga said there are other books the school can use to teach books how to clean up, like "The Cat in the Hat."
"What I don't think is right is that in a public school, this is being taught to our children," Zuniga said. "No. 1, without my consent, and No. 2, without anyone else knowing. It just seems a tab bit like grooming to me."
So Zuniga filed a level-one grievance in 2024 against the book. It went before a committee comprised of LISD employees and parents that voted 6-5 in favor of keeping it on the school's library shelves. Zuniga said everyone on that committee who sided with him was an LISD employee.
Zuniga then appealed the committee's decision to level two, where it was heard by LISD's director of Student and Parent Resolutions, Brian Ellyson. Ellyson sided with the committee's decision.
Ellyson told the trustees that the district's library material is guided by the Texas Education Agency's EFB (Local) procedures along with Texas State Library and Archives Commission and district policies when choosing material for school libraries, noting that books must:
All material selected enhances what is being taught in schools, factoring in students' interests, maturity and ability.
The books help grow students' knowledge and appreciation for literature.
The books encourage reading and higher levels of thinking.
Books represent everyone as a whole.
Ellyson said that any student, parent or employee can challenge materials; however, there are guiding principles when doing so, with parent and/or guardians' rights only extending to their child.
"The district can not restrict student access to the material during the reconsideration process," Ellyson said. "Also, challenged materials can not be removed just because of the ideas of the material, the background of the author or the background of the characters in the book."
Ellyson said the final decision on whether to remove the book should be based on the material's appropriateness to the intended audience.
Parents have the right to work with school librarians to control what subject matter they want their kids to avoid and provide alternative materials as well, and Ellyson said he encouraged Zuniga to do so when he made his decision.
"After speaking with the campus administrator and our district superintendent of teaching and learning, and after reviewing the book and reviewing both local and state standards and requirements, I determined that if the book were to be removed, it would violate both the legal and local policies on the basis that the book rises to the level of pervasively vulgar," Ellyson said.
"(The book) is educationally suitable for the elementary school library," Ellyson said. "Therefore, I am asking the board to uphold the level two decision and deny Mr. Zuniga's grievance to have the book removed from all Lubbock ISD libraries."
Trustee Board Vice President Ryan Curry said he believes LISD administration has followed the policies in place. However, he said the board might need to revisit the policy, expedite the grievance policy, and take some of the burden off the parents to approve which books their child should and shouldn't read.
"What it boils down to me is that if I don't think it should be read out loud in a group setting, how then can I be OK with it being in the library," Curry said.
Trustee Board President Beth Bridges also said that she has heartburn about the policy, but it's the policy currently in place.
"We are structured by our policy," Bridges said. "If we start just throwing it out the window and not adhering to that, then what's the point? Policy is policy."
Bridges sided with Curry in saying the board could look at updating the policy at a later date.
Trustee John Weddige said there is a potential for the district to better communicate its policy on parents' rights in deciding what their children can or cannot read at the school library.
"To my fellow trustees' points, that in this case, policy was followed," Weddige said. "Whether what's in the book is inappropriate or offensive is a matter of opinion."
The board voted 4-1 to uphold the district's determination and deny Zuniga's grievance
Missouri legislators want to take up a bill that would allow parents to sue library board members over books they deem inappropriate. https://missouriindependent.com/2025/...
The Missouri Senate Education Committee discussed legislation Tuesday seeking to ban materials deemed explicit from digital libraries and hold library boards responsible for the content made available to minors.
State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican, filed legislation applying safety measures to “digital library catalogs” after hearing about explicit material available on a state-subsidized application used by public schools.
Her bill adopts the state’s current definition of “p---graphic for minors,” which includes “has a tendency to cater or appeal to a prurient interest of minors.”
Sora, an app school districts provide to students through a program run by the Missouri Secretary of State, allows students to check out books digitally. But Coleman said some resources have inappropriate content and link out to explicit material.
“It provides access to a really broad variety of titles, many of which are fantastic, and allows educators to provide books they otherwise couldn’t afford,” Coleman said. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of other materials that are available, including s--ually explicit material.”
She contacted both the Secretary of State’s office and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education last year. Both told her it was a problem for school boards to handle.
Since 2003, libraries have been responsible for blocking access to p----raphic content on their computers and internet terminals. Coleman’s bill would add digital resources, which can be accessed from home, to the existing statute and create accountability measures.
Schools would have to publish a list of required reading materials on their websites and allow parents access to digital library resources.
Parents would be able to challenge resources as inappropriate, with results of such claims available online. They could sue school personnel, including librarians, for not following the law as a result of “gross negligence” or intentional conduct.
Coleman said school districts should stop using Sora if they cannot thoroughly monitor its catalog.
Mary Catherine Martin, an attorney with conservative law firm Thomas More Society, said she helped draft the legislation to put the onus on schools.
State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and chair of the education committee, said some content is “definitely not G-rated.”
“To me this is no different than if a school district just left a gun laying somewhere and then wants to act dumb,” he said.
The committee also heard a bill sponsored by state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance, that would hold library board members accountable for material accessible to children. The bill would add board members to a 2022 law that makes providing explicit s---al material to a minor a class A misdemeanor.
When the law was passed in 2022, some expressed concerns that it would lead to “book banning” and suppression of LGBTQ+ literature.
Schroer said his bill would “protect the innocence and integrity of children’s learning environment.”
The legislation would keep the existing definition of explicit s--ual material, which only applies to visual material.
Brattin, who helped draft the bill, said it didn’t include literature because of opposition.
“I think this is just a common sense approach to things,” he said.
The American Library Association included Schroer’s legislation in a list of 98 “adverse” bills. The organization noted a legislative push in recent years to “impair” librarians from providing diverse materials.
These bills come less than two years after a rule by former Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft that requires libraries to create policies preventing minors from accessing obscene materials. Thousands of public comments opposed the rule, calling it censorship.
New York StatePenfield schools: Next two board meetings canceled due to concerning, threatening messages
https://13wham.com/news/local/penfiel...
Leaders in the Penfield Central School District said they are canceling the next two Board of Education meetings after receiving dozens of concerning and threatening messages.
This follows a Feb. 11 school board meeting was disrupted over concerns about imagery in a children's book, which some parents deemed inappropriate. The Rainbow Parade
Superintendent Tasha Potter shared a letter to district families on Friday. It was also posted on the school's website.
Since the last Board of Education meeting, school leaders said they have received roughly 200 messages — 84 of which were reviewed by the district's legal counsel and found to contain language deemed discriminatory, racist, homophobic or threatening.
These safety measures include hiring a safety and security coordinator, additional school security services and maintaining a police presence school grounds.
Student participation will also be suspended at board meetings for the rest of the school year.
NevadaOne of the library board members trying to defund the Washoe County Library System was getting money from an anti-LGBTQ+ group.
https://www.kunr.org/2025-02-28/giann...
Last April, Nichelle Hull attended a contentious library board meeting to support a group of conservative activists, who demanded that trustees reshelve more than a dozen books — most of which featured LGBTQ+ authors and themes.
“I'm representing Wake Up Washoe County this evening, and I'm representing the folks that did the book challenges,” she said during the meeting’s first public comment period.
Later, Trustee Gianna Jacks, who was chair of the board at the time, allowed Hull to speak again. But this time, it was outside of normal public comment, and Hull spoke on behalf of the activists who’d filed the book challenges — even though she hadn’t filled one out herself.
According to Deputy District Attorney Herb Kaplan, the board’s legal advisor, Jacks’ decision was out of step with procedure.
“Generally, it is the person who has presented the, or submitted the challenge, who would provide whatever…” he began, before Jacks interrupted.
“I'm calling her up next,” she said, referring to Hull. “Sorry, just for the presentation on the original letter that was submitted.”
“So I think the question is, what exactly are you calling Ms. Hull up to do?,” Kaplan asked.
A new investigation by KUNR found that two days prior to the meeting, Hull received a payment bearing Jacks’ first name on her public Venmo account. Library leadership and community organizers say the apparent financial relationship puts Jacks’ motives into question, and could violate ethics rules for public officials.
Library Director Jeff Scott reviewed screenshots of more than two-dozen payments to Hull under Jacks’ name for this story.
“That's a lot,” he said, while laughing ironically. “I think it's clear that you have right wing money influencing the board, which is against the trustee code.”
Last year, KUNR found Jacks had deep connections to the local GOP establishment, and opposed the library’s Drag Story Hour from her seat on the board.
...
But in December of 2023, [Jacks and Hull] both appeared on the Nevada Radio Roundup, a conservative talk show.
Jacks urged listeners with concerns about the content or programming at public libraries to attend board meetings.
Meanwhile, Hull explained the motivation for her campaign against diverse books and Drag Story Hour to host Shanimal Lawson.
“You look at the cover of the book? Looks just fine! You read the inside of the cover? Sounds just great! But then, your kids tell you that, as they get to the middle of the book, or toward the end of the book, ‘Oh, there's this entire storyline that's, like, inappropriate, you know?’ It's LBGTQ+ [sic]...”
“X, Y, Z,” interjected Lawson, mocking the acronym that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning as part of a broader series of gender and sexual minorities.
X, Y, Z,” Hull agreed. “And that was hidden.”
Hull filed Wake Up Washoe County’s book challenges later that month. Then, in January 2024, public records show she invited Jacks to a birthday party for Chloe Hull, who appears to be Nichelle Hull’s daughter.
It was Chloe Hull’s Venmo account that sent the 26 payments labeled “Gianna money.”
It’s not clear how much money changed hands, because Venmo doesn’t publicly display transaction amounts. Regardless, Stacey Spain said the payments are cause for concern.
“It just doesn't pass the smell test for me,” she explained.
Spain is executive director of Our Center, an LGBTQ+ community hub in Reno that used to organize Drag Story Hour at the library, and now hosts the events in private locations around the Truckee Meadows.
Spain was at the board meeting last April, and saw Hull and her allies argue for moving diverse books to a restricted part of the library. If the board had supported the idea, it would have been akin to censorship, she said.
“It makes it so that folks might not wish to ask to see those books. And it is, in effect, making them unavailable for folks,” Spain said.
Hull’s library activism seems to be over, at least for now.
But over the summer, county officials canceled Drag Story Hour, after they said an employee was hurt by a protester. And in November, voters rejected a measure to renew a tax set-aside that had funded library services for 30 years.
County commissioners could still restore that funding when they finalize their budget in the spring. But if they don’t, Scott said he’ll have to lay off staff and reduce hours.
Ultimately, he believes the campaign against the library was really about restricting access to information.
Here is Jacks’ statement in full:
“Bert first of all I’ve done nothing wrong . There’s no connection or correlation of any kind between a homeschool program and any other activity on any government board. It’s an obviously public account so no one’s hiding anything and I appreciate your concern .Thank you. Gianna Jacks as herself. Feb 27, 2025 11am
happy tax season. Best, Gianna”
Jacks appears to be referring to a so-called homeschool co-op Nichelle Hull operated in conjunction with her political activism. According to an archived capture of the Wake Up Washoe County website, Hull was advertising such a service in Reno as late as Dec. 14, 2024.
Ohio school district approves social studies curriculum after clash with publichttps://local12.com/news/local/school...
A recent Forest Hills School Board meeting turned contentious as members and the public clashed over the district's social studies curriculum.
During the meeting, board member Sara Jonas expressed concerns about certain textbooks, saying:
"I feel comfortable with the course of study, but there are some books that I question on that list."
Vice President Katie Stewart echoed these sentiments, claiming some books contained biased opinions against President Donald Trump.
"I'm not okay with teaching kids lies," Stewart said.
Some in the audience yelled out at these statements. One audience member shouted:
"Are your kids learning from these books?"
"No, thank God. Where my kids go to school, they don't teach propaganda," Stewart said.
Board members Jason Simmons and Wendy Strickler disagreed with the criticism.
"So, we have history books here that are a thousand pages long, and you have a couple of passages that you're not okay with, and you're suggesting we get rid of the entire book?" Simmons said.
The board ultimately approved the curriculum in a narrow 3-2 vote.
School Board President Bob Bibb voted for the curriculum, citing his personal experience with the district.
"I am not shy and neither is my wife about our political opinions with our children," Bibb said. "I've had children in this district since 2007; my youngest is in eighth grade. I've not had a teacher or a child say anything about a teacher with bias or anything like that."
The approved curriculum and resource materials for every grade level in the Forest Hills District are available to the public. If you would like to see the curriculum, all 91 pages are online
https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/fhlsd/Boa...
Indiana- Vigo County School Board heard a single complaint by a parent about the use of The Hate U Give as part of high school curriculum, and now the book is under review.https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_n...
Paywalled
The Samuels Public Library in Virginia will probably be defunded because they refuse to remove a small number of books some people disagree with. This is a former library of the year and this battle has been ongoing for a few years.https://www.tribstar.com/news/local_n...
From information in the agenda packet of the Warren County Board of Supervisors regular meeting of Tuesday, March 4, 2025, it would appear the future of Samuels Public Library may be decided, or at least hinted at, during that meeting. That a decision, or hint at an eventual one, would be coming on recommendations from the controversially appointed Warren County Library Board (WCLB) may not sit well with Samuels Library supporters. That is due to the reported ties that as many as four of the new county library board’s five members are reported to have to the 2023 “Clean Up Samuels” book removal effort.
Readers will recall that effort focused on LGBTQ-themed books seen by many Samuels supporters as a lifeline to youth reaching puberty with self-generated s--ual identity issues. And it may be noted that in reaction to some issues raised, Samuels officials did move some books from younger youth sections to older teen or adult sections of the library.
Item J topic: “Library Funding Agreement” of the open, regular meeting of the supervisors beginning at 7 p.m., Tuesday, states the following:
“The Warren County Library Board (the “Library Board”) has recommended that the Board of Supervisors exercise its right to non-renew the October 3, 2023 Library Funding Agreement (the “Agreement”) between Warren County and Samuels Library, Incorporated (“Samuels”). The Agreement automatically renews from year to year.”
And while there is follow-up information noting the above action does not preclude the county’s elected officials from eventually deciding to continue its relationship with Samuels under “a new agreement”, it also forwards the option of future public library services being provided by “a new vendor” or being continued on a month-to-month basis if extended with Samuels Library’s 501-C3 non-profit entity.
From information in the agenda packet of the Warren County Board of Supervisors regular meeting of Tuesday, March 4, 2025, it would appear the future of Samuels Public Library may be decided, or at least hinted at, during that meeting. That a decision, or hint at an eventual one, would be coming on recommendations from the controversially appointed Warren County Library Board (WCLB) may not sit well with Samuels Library supporters. That is due to the reported ties that as many as four of the new county library board’s five members are reported to have to the 2023 “Clean Up Samuels” book removal effort.
Readers will recall that effort focused on LGBTQ-themed books seen by many Samuels supporters as a lifeline to youth reaching puberty with self-generated sexual identity issues. And it may be noted that in reaction to some issues raised, Samuels officials did move some books from younger youth sections to older teen or adult sections of the library.
Samuels Public Library, chartered in 1799 as Virginia’s second oldest certified public library and the Commonwealth’s current Library of the Year, appears to be facing the final phase in the socio-political attack on its existence stemming from the 2023 effort to remove LGBTQ-themed books from its shelves. Royal Examiner File Photos Roger Bianchini
But back to the present, or at least the very near future, Item J topic: “Library Funding Agreement” of the open, regular meeting of the supervisors beginning at 7 p.m., Tuesday, states the following:
“The Warren County Library Board (the “Library Board”) has recommended that the Board of Supervisors exercise its right to non-renew the October 3, 2023 Library Funding Agreement (the “Agreement”) between Warren County and Samuels Library, Incorporated (“Samuels”). The Agreement automatically renews from year to year.”
And while there is follow-up information noting the above action does not preclude the county’s elected officials from eventually deciding to continue its relationship with Samuels under “a new agreement”, it also forwards the option of future public library services being provided by “a new vendor” or being continued on a month-to-month basis if extended with Samuels Library’s 501-C3 non-profit entity.
... Front Royal-based Eric Belk- led WCLB majority’s reported ties to the 2023 book removal effort. Readers may recall some involved in that “Clean Up Samuels” effort with self-identified religious ties.
“In order to enable the Library Board to determine how best to provide library services, either through a new vendor or Samuels under a new agreement, the Agreement will not be renewed in order to prevent the upcoming automatic renewal of the Agreement,” the County staff summary states of what has been forwarded to the supervisors by what is perceived by many Samuels supporters as its... appointed library board, adding, “This action does not prevent Samuels from continuing to provide library services to Warren County citizens.”
But for how long and under what conditions remains to be seen. Five potential motions forwarded by the new County Library Board, chaired by Eric Belk, included as attachments to “Item J” suggest which direction the County Library Board and perhaps the supervisor majority who appointed that board, are likely to move in.
Those motions noted in the staff summary as based on “WCLB Motions Passed 2-26-25” are:
“Motion 1, Breach of Contract:
“I move that the Warren County Library Board find that Samuels Library, Inc. is in breach of the Library Funding Agreement, Section VI, subsection 3, which provides: “All Library Board meetings shall be open to the public as required by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq. of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended) and as outlined in the Library’s Bylaws.“ due to Samuels Library, Inc.’s holding a meeting in secret, without prior notice to the public, and that it took improper action in secret in direct violation of Virginia’s Open Meeting laws.”
It might be noted that Samuels Library officials have disputed the contention they held an unannounced Board of Trustees meeting as alleged in Motion 1. As reported in the Royal Examiner article on the WCLB February 26 meeting, “Records show that the meeting was announced on December 13, satisfying the legal requirement for prior notice.”
“Motion 2, Recommendation to Non-Renew the Library Funding Agreement:
“I move that the Warren County Library Board recommend to the Warren County Board of Supervisors that it exercises its right to non-renew the October 3, 2023, Library Funding Agreement between Warren County and Samuels Library, Inc., as set forth in Section III, entitled Term.
“Motion 3, Recommendation for a Month-to-Month Agreement:
“I move that the Warren County Library Board recommend to the Warren County Board of Supervisors that, if in the opinion of the Board of Supervisors it is beneficial to the citizens of Warren County, it consider entering into a month-to-month contract with Samuels Library, Inc., to continue to receive County funds to operate Samuels Public Library, pending either 1) the completion of a competitive bid process; 2) receipt and acceptance of competing bids to operate the library; or 3) that due consideration be given to operating the library as a part of the county’s government structure.
“Motion 4, Condition for Samuels Library Inc.’s Eligibility to Compete for the Bid:
“I move that the Warren County Library Board recommend that Samuels Library, Inc., shall have the right to compete for the bid to operate Samuels Public Library, provided that they reverse the improper and unlawful decision to alter their Articles of Incorporation which improperly and inappropriately changed the nature of the agreement between Warren County and Samuels Library, Inc. by changing the dissolution clause to prevent the library assets from being returned to Warren County upon dissolution of Samuels Library, Inc., as has been the case for nearly 50 years.”
Regarding this asset distribution allegation, also as reported in the Royal Examiner article on the February 26 County Library Board meeting, it was reported that: “Also to be noted, funds received from Warren County do not purchase assets for Samuels Library.” Rather, it appears that donor fundraising amounts go to the acquisition of library assets. Thus, financially, it would seem the county would have no claim to library assets that are not funded by county tax revenue.
“Motion 5, Open Call for Competitive Bids:
“I move that the Warren County Library Board recommend that the Warren County Board of Supervisors publicly announce that it is accepting competitive bids, which may be in the form of a Request for Proposal or a broad request for bids at large, from external vendors to operate Samuels Public Library.”
... Many library supporters believe ... an agenda of revenge by the supervisors’ majority and their library board appointees regarding the 2023 “Clean Up Samuels library book removal efforts,
Campbell County Public Library (WY) will begin their plan to further undermine the professional skills and credentials of their employees.Paywalled so we have to take Kelly Jensen's word for it.
“[T]he changes to the library’s collection development policy removed language listing requirements from distributors as well as language requiring the use of select secondary sources (such as Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly) meant to determine a book’s suitability for the collection.”
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/ne...
QNPoohBear wrote: "Probably not good news for Alpena Public Library in Michigan. There’s a new opening on the library board.https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/lo...-..."
Still searching...
https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/lo...
Alpena County Library board selection expected soon
The Alpena County Personnel Committee has narrowed the finalists for an appointment to the Alpena County Library Board down to four.
The candidates for the appointment are Sarah Fritz, Carol Boboltz, Mary Jo Saylor, and Jennifer Graham.
The committee was expected to conduct interviews of the candidates at Tuesday’s meeting, but they will now happen at a meeting on March 17 at 11 a.m. A vote on the appointment recommendation will likely happen also during that meeting.
The appointment recommendation needs to be approved by the full board of commissioners at an upcoming meeting.
The commissioners asked the library board to consider moving the books into a more age-appropriate section of the library or have them placed behind the counter for an adult to check them out with their children, but the library board resisted the move, citing freedom of speech.
As the furor over the books grew, the board of commissioners threatened to replace the entire library board in one swoop but backed off of that position and instead decided to interview, review, and appoint through attrition.
Today, the books remain in the children’s and teens’ section, but the library has instituted a new filing system that it says will make it less likely a child will stumble across the books.
The commissioners said last year that they wanted to have a library board made up of people with different ideas, backgrounds, and political ideologies.
The last two appointments the commissioners made were in December when Traci Collins and Julie Byrnes were added. Both women supported the idea that the books in the children and teen sections be moved because they believed they were too s--ually graphic for minors.
The appointments raised eyebrows and made some wonder if the county commissioners were trying to stack the board with conservative-minded people.
The commissioner’s choice this time around gives them a chance to be true to their word in creating a diversified board.
Library Board President Justin Budd said whoever is appointed, no matter what their opinion is on the children’s books issue, will be welcome and the entire board will work as a team.
Stillwater, Minnesota schools have pulled several books that were donated to the school and are making them accessible to kids with permission slips only. One guess as to who those books were by/about/theme?https://www.stillwaterschools.org/our...
A community member recently donated funding for the purchase of more than 30 books to elementary media centers across the school district. As the books were being unpacked, district staff reported that one of the books contained an adult image that may be inappropriate for elementary school students. Staff also raised concerns about two other donated books. District administration pulled these books for review.
Before being reviewed by the district administration, all the other donated books had been placed on shelves in two of our buildings. There was no directive from the district to remove these books from the shelves. Instead, the district administration conducted a review of donated books that hadn’t been unpacked yet in another building.
The administration has determined that the book containing an adult image,[LIES Did they open it?] Grandad's Pride by Harry Woodgate, is inappropriate for elementary school students. A second book, Call Me Max by Kyle Lukoff, also raises concerns given the age and maturity of the intended audience. [Trans kid]
As a result, both books will only be made available to students with parental permission. This approach allows for informed decision-making while ensuring continued availability.
Stillwater Area Public Schools is committed to providing students with access to a diverse selection of literature while also considering the age-appropriateness of potentially sensitive topics for the media center’s intended audience. To that end, when considered as a whole, media center materials should: (1) enrich, support, or supplement the curriculum; (2) promote reading for pleasure by responding to a broad array of personal needs and interests of a diverse student body; (3) reflect the ages and maturity levels of students in the building in which the media center is located; (4) reflect artistic value, literary value, or educational significance; (5) promote critical thinking in in daily living or in areas of general importance to members of society, including, but not limited to, politics, science, history, religion, medicine, law, economics, or safety; or (6) promote an understanding of the views, triumphs, or struggles of others.
Later this spring, the school board will consider a new policy that specifically addresses media center resources and includes standards for determining the selection of materials for the media center and for determining when materials should be removed from the media center. Meanwhile, the district will continue to act consistent with state law. Nothing in the law limits a school district’s authority to decline to shelve a book, or to remove or restrict access to a book, based on legitimate pedagogical concerns, including the appropriateness of potentially sensitive topics for the media center's intended audience.
We appreciate our community’s engagement in this important discussion and remain committed to fostering a balanced and inclusive learning environment.
Call Me Max author Kyle Lukoff responds to Stillwater banhttps://www.fox9.com/news/stillwater-...
Kyle Lukoff, the author of "Call Me Max", released an open letter that partially said, "I am a former elementary school librarian, and according to your own standards, as well as the standards of the American Library Association, I can assure you that "Call Me Max" does in fact respond to the personal needs and interests of a diverse student body. It reflects the age and maturity levels of elementary aged students. It is of literary value, and is also educationally significant. It promotes critical thinking in areas of general importance to members of society (which seems to be an area the decision makers of the district could stand to improve upon) and it absolutely promotes an understanding of the views, triumphs, and struggles of others, specifically trans people--which, if I had to guess, is ironically the exact reason why it is currently being restricted."
The letter concluded by saying, "Given your own criteria, an objective reading of ‘Call Me Max’ should unequivocally rate it as appropriate for the students at elementary media centers across the district. The fact that you have decided to restrict students' access to this title is frankly a betrayal of your own stated values and, more importantly, a betrayal of the students and families in your district who believe that trans people deserve equal representation on library shelves. This is a decision that can only come from a place of discomfort, fear, and bias, and it is a shame that the families, friends, and allies of trans people in your district are learning that you view them as unequal and disposable."
The Stillwater school board is set to consider a new policy that addresses media center resources and standards for material selection later this spring, according to a statement from the district.
Douglas County, Colorado, county commissioners bypassed the traditional route of how library trustees are appointed and elected a pro-book banner to the library board.https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/20...
Douglas County commissioners appoint library board member who supported book removals
The Douglas County commissioners altered a longtime appointment process for the Douglas County Libraries Board of Trustees when they hand-picked new members of the board, including a Castle Rock resident who advocated for the libraries to remove books with LGBTQ+ themes.
At a Feb. 24 meeting, the three county commissioners unanimously appointed Amy Windju of Castle Rock and Pam Hampton of Parker to the library board. On March 4, the commissioners unanimously appointed Taylor Watson of Parker to the board.
The appointments follow a December decision to disregard recommended appointments made by an interview panel drawn from the Partnership of Douglas County Governments, which included a current library board member and local government officials. The interview panel recommended Rick LaPointe, Meghann Silverthornn and Joe Kopacz be appointed to the library board. LaPointe and Silverthornn were seeking reappointment to the board.
The Library Board of Trustees declined to comment on the change to the appointment process.
Commissioners George Teal and Abe Laydon directed staff to reopen applications for library board candidates and change the process to give the commissioners the sole ability to appoint board members moving forward.
Teal and Laydon decided to leave the seats open during the second application process. Teal said he was disappointed that only five candidates applied and he wanted to see more applicants.
At the Feb. 24 meeting, Teal nominated Hampton and Windju, but did not elaborate on why he selected them over the recommendations of the appointment committee. There was no mention of other applicants or an interview process.
Windju and Hampton both serve as district captains in the Douglas County GOP. Hampton also helps run the Parker Conservatives group with her husband, Mark Hampton.
According to TRACER records, Hampton has donated about $4,500 to the Douglas County Republican Central Committee and Windju has donated about $300 to the Douglas County Republican Central Committee and $50 to Teal’s 2024 campaign for commissioner.
In 2023, Windju was one of many people who spoke during two library board meetings about the removal of four books from Douglas County libraries because of LGBTQ+ themes. The books were “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,” “This Book is Gay,” “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “Jack of Hearts.” The request to remove the books from library shelves failed with a unanimous vote from the library board.
In her comments, Windju said removing books from library shelves is not book banning. Windju said she was concerned that the book “Let’s Talk About It” was available in the “youth section” because it described the use of s-x toys.
“No one is banning books, no one is calling for books to be banned,” she said. “It is about age-appropriateness and leaving politics out of kids’ minds.”
Windju said that as a taxpayer service, the library should heed the community’s opinions.
“Our taxes are paying for this, and we all, as a community, have a voice,” she said.
Windju also accused the library board of having ties to “social activism” because it signed a 2022 statement from the Urban Library Council on racial and social equity and is a member of the American Library Association.
In a phone call with the Douglas County News-Press, Teal said he nominated Windju and Hampton because he felt they represent people in the community who were “involved over the last couple of years in terms of some of the content and how that content is displayed in the libraries.”
“A lot of it does come from the input I’ve received from residents of the county that – and maybe these are residents of the county that may represent a more traditional view of the role of libraries – they weren’t being listened to and their input didn’t matter anymore,” Teal said.
During the February meeting, Commissioner Abe Laydon said he had spoken with Windju and Hampton and felt confident in their appointments, noting “these are great folks that share our perspectives.”
Laydon said he wants the county to balance freedom of speech with parents’ rights and protecting children.
...
Laydon said he supports Hampton and Windju because they told him they don’t support censorship.
“I asked pointedly and they both said ‘We don’t want to book burn; we don’t want to censor, we believe in freedom of information and education, and the libraries are a place for that,’ so I feel really good about both of them,” he said.
Laydon also spoke of Windju and Hampton as being people of faith who “both have connections to members of the gay community that they have a respect and appreciation for that.”
“They share my view that radical agendas that we’re seeing out there are wildly inappropriate, but they have relatives in the community and they recognize the need for education and information, particularly for youth that are three times more likely to commit suicide,” he said. “So I was really impressed with their balancing, and they shared my freedom principles and I think they’re both great potential candidates.”
Laydon made similar comments about Watson during the Mar. 4 discussion, saying that he is a man of faith with ties to the gay community.
Teal said he met Watson at the National Prayer Breakfast and appointed him because Watson’s experience as a financial planner impressed him.
According to county staff, the library board appointment process was designated to the Partnership of Douglas County Governments from 1999 to 2013. From 2013 to 2018, the library appointment process was the responsibility of the commissioners.
Since 2018, the Partnership of Douglas County Governments has recommended appointments that the commissioners vote on.
Meeker Public Regional Library Board in Colorado heard from residents who were angry about where Gender Queer was located in the library, claiming it was in the youth section when it was not, actually, in fact, in the youth section at all! Also, the book is NOT supposed to be for children. It's an adult book with special crossover appeal to teens. https://www.theheraldtimes.com/meeker...
Meeker Regional Library Board discusses book placement and library policies
The meeting opened with the board approving the agenda. Before the approval, board secretary Toby Leavitt motioned to eliminate the consent agenda from this and future meetings, explaining her reasoning.
“I would like to address the consent agenda. We need to do away with that at this point because we’re not in a good place to do consent agendas,” Leavitt said.
The motion was voted on and passed. Leavitt then made another motion to permanently reorder the agenda, moving old business ahead of new business. This motion also passed after discussion on placement of certain agenda items. The book order list was moved under the librarian’s report, and other agenda adjustments were made accordingly.
Following these changes, the board approved the revised agenda, which included a structured order of public comments, approval of minutes, financial reports, librarian and library director reports, old business, and new business. Before opening public comments, board president John Moffitt urged the attendees in the room to keep their remarks within three minutes.
....
During the public comment portion of the meeting, community members discussed the placement of the graphic novel “Gender Queer” in the library. Some expressed concerns about its explicit content, arguing that it should not be located in the children’s section.
Karen Dinwiddie shared her thoughts after recently downloading the book.
“Personally, being in the youth section—as far as I know—children can’t have s-x in Colorado or anywhere with another person before the age of 15. Otherwise, it’s statutory r-pe. And when you have pictures—it’s very graphic pictures of people having s-x in a book that’s supposed to be for children,” Dinwiddie said.
Board Vice President Keri Grieser asked Library Director Kristina Selby to clarify the book’s location.
“You can find that book in the adult nonfiction section,” Selby responded.
Community member Nash Jones emphasized the library’s responsibility to provide diverse perspectives and warned them against censorship.
“This is a great time to remind the board that you’re representatives of this library. As a publicly funded institution, you are obligated to provide a variety of perspectives and experiences,” Jones said.
Other community members echoed concerns about protecting children from inappropriate materials, while some stressed the importance of intellectual freedom.
...
The board addressed various policy topics, including bylaws and strategic improvements. A motion to send Selby to a conference did not receive a second and was not approved.
Utah Bans 17th Book from Public Schools StatewideTricks by Ellen Hopkins was added to the list this week, and now, school officials must work to remove the title from their institutions. It is the second book by Hopkins to be banned in the state.
There are now 17 books prohibited in any Utah public school. Of them, 15 are written by women, and their average publication date is 2011. This means that most of these books have been on shelves and available for many years and caused no issues until this manufactured crisis.
schools in the state are forced to follow the decisions made in other districts. There are 42 public school districts in Utah, but two districts account for nearly 80% of the books banned statewide: Davis School District and Washington School District.
Davis and Washington are two of the three schools that led to the banning of Tricks.
In January, Utah’s State Board of Education also further clarified the law as it applies to students. No students are allowed to bring their own personal or public library copies of any of the state’s banned books onto school campuses. Student freedom to even carry these books to class for their own free reading is against the law. The state goes so far as to issue guidance for how local educational agencies can approach students who bring any of the above 17 books to school.
These laws do not apply to private or homeschool institutions.
https://bookriot.com/utah-bans-17th-b...
FYI:Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. Here’s what it does
https://apnews.com/article/education-...
I know this will affect my sister's job, her kids' services; Friends will have to homeschool their kids because their kids won't have access to an equal education. Many children will starve, their grades will slip because they're too hungry to pay attention in school without breakfast and lunch, often the ONLY food they have all day. Unhoused kids won't be able to attend school at all. Civil rights protections will go way out the window. Teachers will be even more overworked with larger class sizes.
THIS is a surefire way to get those reading and math scores up and catch up after COVID. (NOT!)https://apnews.com/article/trump-educ...
Citing DEI, Trump cut teacher training grants that helped rural schools | AP News
A few Democratic states are preparing to file a lawsuit against Trump funding cut to new teachers programsNew Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/new...
How many books are LEFT in this county? Didn't they just ban 400+ books?Rutherford County removes more books from school libraries
https://fox17.com/news/local/rutherfo...
The Rutherford County School Board voted to remove more books from its school libraries on Thursday, marking another round of removals since the start of the school year.
The board voted to remove Five of the five books up for review:
-Catch 22
-Assassination Classroom (Vol. 1-8, 11)
-Perfect Chemistry
-Water for Elephants (Unanimous)
-Yolk
Some of the books can still be assigned by teachers due to AP course curriculum.
Texas bill may change school library book approvals https://www.khou.com/article/news/loc...
State bill could tighten parental access to Texas library catalogs
The bill seeks to give school boards control over library books, stirring book-banning concerns.
A bill moving through the Texas state capitol aims to reform how public school libraries manage books that spark concern among parents, a proposal that opponents believe could further book banning efforts.
SB 13 is authored by Sen. Angela Paxton. The bill would shift decision-making power over school library materials from librarians to school boards, requiring board approval for all new books and giving local school library advisory councils—primarily composed of parents—a key role in reviewing acquisitions and book challenges.
The bill also expands parental oversight by granting parents access to their child's library records, allowing them to block specific books and requiring schools to provide full transparency of library catalogs.
... Opponents believe the bill would give a significant amount of power in the hands of few parents.
"It's still not giving the whole community a voice," Levi Fiedler, the political coordinator for Texas Freedom Network, told KHOU 11 in an interview. "It's giving one elected board within a community that voice."
Fiedler added the bill could lead to books about certain communities facing more scrutiny than others.
"Books that discuss LGBTQ-plus students, people of color and people who are both are much more likely to be pulled from shelves," Fiedler said.
The Texas Library Association send the following statement from its executive director, Shirley Robinson.
"Certified school librarians, who work with all students on a campus, understand the varied learning needs and interests of those students. They follow school board -approved collection development policies and all state and federal laws when selecting materials to meet the needs of their school community. Requiring the politically appointed Local School Library Advisory Council to review all district library purchase orders, determine if they are grade level appropriate, and consistent with local community values places decisions about what students can read in the hands of a very small group of parents. This also creates significant barriers to purchasing library materials in a timely manner, and places an administrative burden on district staff and school board members."
A similar bill to SB 13 passed the Texas Senate last session, but failed to make it out of the House. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has said SB 13 is among his top priorities this session.
Mod
It is a little hard to feel any empathy for fired and laid of US government workers who voted for Donald Trump!!
And Trump is actually claiming that Justin Trudeau will still be Canadian PM (even though he has resigned and a new leader is being chosen today). Honestly, how stupid is that?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3...
Anyone in Texas?From the Texas Freedom to Read Project
TEXAS SENATE'S BOOK BAN BILL COULD GO TO THE SENATE FLOOR FOR A VOTE AS SOON AS THIS WEEK.
Call or email your Texas senator and ask them to vote "no" on SB13.
Make a Phone Call
Call your senator and ask them to vote "no" on SB13.
Find out who represents you here. Remember you're looking for your state senator, not Cruz or Cornyn.
https://www.txftrp.org/r?u=0WnHnnubRX...
Here's a sample script you can use and adapt for your own needs:
"Hi, my name is (first name) and I'm calling in regards to SB13, the Library Advisory Committee bill. As a (parent/Texan/voter) and library supporter, I am asking you to oppose this bill because it would put the power into the hands of a few parents and not elected officials. I would like my district to be more focused on improving math and reading scores instead of worrying about controlling library books. Also, Texas has already passed one bill that is in place to do that so we don't need another one. Please let the Senator know my concerns. Thank you."
Send an Email
You can also make your concerns about and opposition to SB13 heard by e-mailing your Texas senator {again: this is not Cruz or Cornyn}.
You can use this simple email form to contact your state senator with a few clicks- or you can draft your own email to send them.
Or find your state senator's name and contact info here and write your own message letting them know why you want them to vote "no" on SB13.
https://www.txftrp.org/oppose_sb13?e=...
SB13 Threatens to Remove Huck Finn & A Letter from Birmingham Jail from Schools
You can read more about SB13 and the book banning havoc it threatens to unleash on Texas public schools here.
https://www.txftrp.org/first_look_at_...
Last week, the Texas Senate K-16 Education Committee voted 10-1 (Senator José Menéndez was the lone dissenting vote) to send SB13 to the full Senate for a vote.
Senate Bill 13- which is Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's priority bill to "guard against inappropriate books in public schools" is listed on the Regular Order of Business and likely to be taken up for a vote by the full Texas senate very soon.
Act now, before it's too late.
I was away for a few days and now have some old stories to share.Draw Me a Controversy: On the Banning of Beloved Children’s Book Author Eric Carle
https://lithub.com/draw-me-a-controve...
Lisa Tolin Explores How “Draw Me a Star” Was Swept Into a Dangerous Culture War
...
What scandal could Carle, one of America’s most beloved picture book creators, have perpetrated in this banned board book?
Draw Me a Star tells the story of an artist creating his way through the world. “Draw me a star,” it begins, and the artist draws a star. The star asks him to draw a sun, and eventually a woman and a man: “And the artist drew a handsome couple.”
The couple is indeed handsome, drawn in Carle’s trademark, flat collage style. Alas for children in school districts in Florida, Iowa, and Texas, the couple is also naked. The book has been banned in at least four school districts since 2021, and other schools have covered the handsome couple in paper clothes.
What those who redact Carle’s childlike art probably don’t realize is that it was inspired by his own response to censorship growing up in Nazi Germany. “Hitler dictated not only politics and everything, he also dictated art,” he told NPR in 2011.
Carle was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929 to German immigrants who returned to Nazi Germany in the mid-1930s. His father was drafted into the army and taken prisoner by the Soviets. Carle himself was forced to dig trenches.
Before the war, when Carle was twelve, an art teacher, Herr Krauss, invited Carle to his home to see the work of “degenerate” expressionist artists. Carle couldn’t remember later exactly what he saw—but he felt it must have included Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and perhaps Franz Marc’s Blue Horse.
Seeing it was a shock. Until then, Carle had experienced only art depicting “flag-waving, gun-toting Aryans”—painted in a realistic style. Hitler, the failed artist, rejected the abstract, modern art then in vogue in art schools. In 1937, Hitler put on an exhibit of “degenerate” expressionist art, some of which was later burned.
Carle returned to the United States, where he found success as a creator of children’s books. He dedicated his book From Head to Toe to Herr Krauss, “who introduced me to modern art even though it was forbidden.”
...
In the frenzy of challenges to books containing nudity of any sort—including goblin nudity—Draw Me a Star takes pride of place beside Maruice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen and David Shannon’s No, David!
Draw Me a Star was challenged several times in Carle’s lifetime, including in 1996 in a Seattle suburb where a parent called it “soft p----graphy” that might encourage children to draw naked bodies themselves. Carle’s publicist faxed his response to the Seattle Times.
“It surprised me that you are disturbed by my depictions of the innocently naked couple,” he wrote.
My illustration style is “generic,” as a friend told me. Another friend, an art critic, compared my pictures favorably to primitive cave paintings. I am pleased with that analogy, for I attempt to simplify nature for children, and through fact and fantasy, to give joy and to help first readers fall in love with books."
VirginiaParents seek review of Lynchburg Public Library kids' books over LGBTQ+ content concerns
https://wset.com/news/local/parents-s...
Concerns over the content of children's books at the Lynchburg Public Library have sparked a conversation drawing parents and community members to a city council meeting.
The controversy centers on books containing LGBTQ+ themes and what some describe as "woke" content.
Jenna Sosa, a Lynchburg parent, frequently visits the library with her four children but has grown uneasy with some of the material in the children's section.
"Those conversations are done better in a relationship and through conversation than it is through somebody writing a book through their own bias and that being presented to my children," Sosa said. She believes the content is inappropriate for young children and a misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Sosa said that she is not advocating for a book ban but rather a dialogue on how to protect children and involve parents in the decision-making process.
Greg Berry, with the Lynchburg City Elders, expressed his concerns about the library's offerings.
"I've seen some of the books that they have in the libraries and yes it's definitely trying to indoctrinate our children and in my opinion groom them," Berry said.
He advocates for removing the content and increased oversight of the children's section and urges parents to monitor their children's library selections if no action is taken following the public comments.
Veronica Bratton, the Lynchburg Republican City Committee chair said it has been reported to her that "there are over 120 books found in the Lynchburg Public Library geared towards children from toddler to high school that promote racist and gender ideology. "
"This includes descriptions of (view spoiler) This is an unacceptable use of our citizens' tax dollars. We need to ask ourselves what is the function of government? Is it to fund an adult bookstore geared to our children, or is it to protect our children and provide an environment of learning and literacy?" Bratton said.
Moms For Liberty Is Shutting Down BookLooksKelly Jensen of BookRiot wonders why?
https://bookriot.com/booklooks-shutti...
Whether or not this is a publicity stunt intending to get the site onto even more radars–there are more than a handful of institutions utilizing the site and more eager to give it legitimacy despite its significant shortcomings–is yet to be determined. But the announcement brings with it a load of questions worth asking and thinking about in the broader context of contemporary book and curriculum censorship under the new administration. Among them:
Did the site’s work get sold to a bigger company looking to “professionalize” the volunteer-created reviews? There are several companies with a vested interest in “helping” library workers and educate navigate the growing field of book challenges who may be eager to implement such a ratings system for their companies to use. We’ve already seen one library vendor rely on the same language developed on BookLooks related to their universal ratings system (the vendor has since backed off following criticism). Their ratings system has had penetration for other unprofessional review resources–whether or not BookLooks.org itself remains active doesn’t matter.
What role the leadership in Moms For Liberty has within the current federal administration and where/how this site’s content will be utilized in other ways? Tiffany Justice, one of the cofounders Moms For Liberty, was given prominent placement in a recent press release from the Department of Education about the department’s new DEI snitch line, suggesting she and her ilk have been given ready access to the nation’s department covering public schools.
Whether or not they’ve been been hit with a lawsuit or other legal ramifications. Reviews on the site copied passages from the books they rated amply, with could be a violation of copyright laws.
Moms For Liberty is engaged in a lawsuit in New York, and BookLooks has been cited in an Amicus Brief–the Wayne County chapter of the group, alongside a pastor, are suing the Clyde Savannah School District for not banning books they disagree with. Removing the site and reviews may be part of what the group’s lawyers are recommending they do to protect themselves from future similar cases.
Where and how Moms For Liberty’s increasing push to get books into public schools is in direct conflict with the mission of having books challenged based on their own ratings system. Just today, the Sun Coast News covered the group’s donation of several books packed with right-wing propaganda into the Hernando County School District. The group also published their first children’s book at the end of 2024.
From EveryLibrary
https://www.everylibrary.org/
Bills to Oppose
Alabama
Oppose HB4 - Criminalizing Librarianship
Alabama HB4 proposes drastic and unconstitutional changes to how public and school libraries operate, threatening the rights of librarians and the access to diverse materials for our communities. This bill undermines our libraries' mission to educate and inform and violates basic principles of free speech and due process.
Oppose HB4 Sign-On Letter (Organizations)
We invite organizations that share our commitment to the fundamental right to read and who stand in support of libraries to sign onto this letter and join us in this critical advocacy opposing HB4. Together, we can ensure that our libraries remain open to all and that our librarians are able to work without harassment or fear.
Oppose SB6 - Library Independence
SB 6 is a direct attack on the independence of Alabama’s public libraries and hands over control of library boards to local politicians. Contact your legislators and urge them to vote no:
Arkansas
Oppose SB181 - Don't Politicize Library Management
SB181 would remove educational requirements for library directors in Arkansas, allow for the installation of political agents in library management positions, and dramatically decrease funding for Arkansas's libraries. Send a message opposing SB181 today!
North Dakota
Oppose SB2307 - Don't criminalize libraries in North Dakota
Arresting librarians and teachers has never led to more liberty and freedom. SB2307 puts North Dakota librarians and teachers at risk of being arrested for doing their jobs. It could also lead to a loss of state funding for libraries, forcing local communities to pick up the tab. Ask your legislators to oppose SB 2307.
New Hampshire
Oppose HB324 - Don't Criminalize Librarianship
HB 324 is a proposed bill that threatens the integrity of New Hampshire’s school libraries and labels K-12 educators and school boards as criminals. It places unnecessary barriers between students and the resources they need to thrive academically and personally.
South Carolina
Stop the Purge of Library Books in South Carolina
The South Carolina State Board of Education (BOE) recently banned seven books from all public schools in the state. Because the State Department of Education passed an overly broad book banning regulation in July (43-170), State BOE members were not required to read the books before voting to ban them.
Texas
Oppose Criminalization of Librarians and Educators
Send an email to your Texas state legislators asking them to block all bills that would criminalize librarians, education, and your right to read. This includes bills: HB267, HB947, HB995, HB1012, HB1025, HB1434, HB2030, SB89, SB242, and SB412
Oppose HB183 and protect local control of library collections
Texas must protect the local rights of its citizens and taxpayers by ensuring that books are reviewed at the local level rather than the state level.
Don't criminalize books on display!
Texas SB88 poses a significant threat to the freedom to read. It would expose booksellers, librarians, and educators to criminal liability simply for selling, distributing, or displaying everyday books.
Stop Book Bans in Texas Public Schools
Stop Book Bans in Texas Public Schools - Send an email to your state legislators asking them to block Senate Bill 13 in Texas, a bill that makes it easier to ban books by creating a School Library Advisory Council (SLAC). https://www.txftrp.org/oppose_sb13”
Utah
Fix the Sensitive Materials Law
HB29 is forcing the statewide removal of books by Nobel laureates & beloved authors like Toni Morrison, Judy Blume & Sherman Alexie. Criminalizing educators & purging literature is NOT the Utah way. Email Gov. Cox & your legislators NOW: Stop banning books, fix the law, and restore local control!
Overturn statewide book bans and restore local control
Tell USBE Board members to vote at their next meeting to preserve local control of our schools so that the overreach of state politicians doesn’t force local communities to purge books from their school libraries.
Bills to Support
Arkansas
Support HB1028 - Support the Right to Read!
HB1028 is a critical step in defending free expression and ensuring Arkansas libraries remain places of learning and exploration. This proposed legislation will repeal a harmful law SB81 (2023) and replace it with meaningful protections for free expression.
California
Support school librarians and fully fund school libraries in California!
Many California schools don't have school libraries. In fact, California Schools have the worst score in the nation for the quality of their public school libraries. California schools are also facing drastic cuts from state and local funding and many schools are choosing to make more cuts in school libraries and lay off school librarians. This crisis comes at a critical time for our children and education as a whole. Our children deserve a better education! Sign the petition today!
Save Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Librarians
The Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Governing Board is eliminating all highly qualified, credentialed Teacher Librarians from EVERY SCHOOL SITE: Grossmont, El Cajon Valley, Mount Miguel, El Capitan, Granite Hills, Monte Vista, Santana, Valhalla, and West Hills.
Colorado
Support SB63 - Support the Right To Read in School Libraries!
Protect the freedom to read in Colorado school libraries. Contact your state legislators to ask them to prioritize this important legislation.
Support SB63 Sign-On (Organizations)
The undersigned organizations representing Colorado's library, education, civil rights, and civil liberties communities write to express our strong support for SB 25-63, the Colorado School Library Right to Read Bill. We urge the General Assembly to prioritize this critical legislation in the 2025 legislative session to protect the freedom to read, uphold the First Amendment, and ensure that school library collections reflect the diverse needs and perspectives of Colorado students and their families.
Oppose HB1158 - Database and Research access in schools and school libraries
Protect access to research in Colorado schools and school libraries. Contact your legislators to vote No on HB25-1158 and stop unhelpful and harmful restrictions on school library databases.
Connecticut
Support SB1271 - Protect the Freedom to Read
“B1271 is important new legislation that protects the freedom to read in Connecticut school and public libraries and provides necessary legal safeguards for librarians and library staff across the state. Contact your state legislators and ask them to pass SB1271 this session
Georgia
Sign the Pledge for Georgia Libraries
Join thousands of your neighbors to take the Pledge to Support Georgia Libraries. Everyone in Georgia deserves opportunities. That's why we are asking you to Pledge your support locally, at the state house, and in Congress to support our libraries and the people who make them work.
Florida
Sign the petition against banned books
Florida Parents have the right to screen what their own children read, but it stops there. No one parent or government entity should be able to prevent all students from accessing information at the library.
Louisiana
Take action to support their work!
Public libraries and the First Amendment are under attack in Louisiana. In the last few years the number of book challenges at our public libraries have increased exponentially, fueled by a small minority of individuals spreading misinformation about the amazing work our librarians do and the vital role libraries play in our communities.
Michigan
Take action to support their work
MI Right to Read is an initiative of the Michigan Library Association (MLA), coordinated through the leadership of the Intellectual Freedom Task Force. MLA leads the advancement of all Michigan libraries through advocacy, education and engagement.
New Mexico
Sign the general petition to support the right to read in New Mexico
Everyone deserves to share their culture through books. Freedom of speech includes the freedom to read. Book bans limit reading choice by removing or hiding books. A few people shouldn't decide what everyone else can read. Book bans are often prejudiced too.
Schools and libraries are for learning. Our world is both great and difficult. We can all learn so much about it through the safety of the pages of a book.
New Jersey
Every Student in New Jersey Needs a School Librarian
The New Jersey Association of School Librarians is supporting to bills in Trenton to ensure that certified school librarians are teaching in every school and district across the state. The research is clear in linking student academic achievement to the presence of school librarians. However, too many NJ students do not have a school librarian.
Ohio
Sign up to stay informed!
Right to Read Ohio recently launched to raise awareness and to support libraries as vital institutions and librarians as essential facilitators of knowledge.
Students at Ramstein Air Force Base schools and other DODEA schools overseas walked out of class last week to protest censorship and discrimination.https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...
Students at US military high school in Germany protest Hegseth's anti-DEI push
Students at a Defense Department-run high school on Ramstein Air Base in Germany say school has changed dramatically in the last month after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched a vast effort to stamp out diversity education across the military.
On Thursday, hundreds of students across three different high schools plan to stage a protest, in what they hope will be the largest walkout in the history of the Defense Department Education Activity, or DoDEA, in protest of the changes.
The DoDEA is a school system for children of U.S. military personnel and is comprised of schools from pre-K through 12th grade in the United States and around the globe.
Tristan, a student at Ramstein High School helping to coordinate the walkout, is expecting as many as 250 students to join. Students at Humphreys High School, located on Camp Humphreys in South Korea, the largest overseas U.S. military base, are also participating in the walkout, as well as students at Kaiserslautern High School, around six miles away from Ramstein High School.
The students in this story asked to go by their first names so that their parents who are servicemembers and employees would not suffer retaliation.
...
During Hegseth's visit last month to the U.S. base in Stuttgart, Germany, around 55 students at a middle school on the base walked out of class in protest, chanting "DEI." The school's assistant principal said the demonstration was "orderly" and lasted around 50 minutes.
At Ramstein High, students in the LGBTQ Pride Club say it can no longer meet. Other cultural clubs, including the school's Black Student Union, Asian Cultural Association and Ramstein Hispanic Heritage Club were also impacted, they say.
William Griffin, a spokesperson for DoDEA, said students "maintain the opportunity to convene student-sponsored, non-curriculum-related student groups" under administrative guidelines.
But student members of the Pride Club said it couldn't meet because it technically uses federal resources to convene inside school buildings.
"The Pride Club is no longer allowed to meet because it's being held indoors," said Matthew, a member of the group. "And if it's held indoors, the logic goes, basically that DoDEA is paying for the electricity and the heating and the building, so that constitutes federal funding."
Books have also been pulled off the shelves at U.S. military schools around the world pending a "review" for diversity concepts and language.
Matthew listed high school reading list classics among those that disappeared from the shelves of Ramstein High – Fahrenheit 451, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye.
"In effect, they're erasing history," said Finn. "That's another reason why we're protesting."... Students also said they were disturbed by changes in the course curriculum, including removing LGBTQ-related psychology lessons and s-x education.
...
Tristan, an LGBTQ student at the school, said he had been targeted with homophobic harassment by students emboldened by the administration's attacks on DEI. One student "came up to me and he openly said, 'Anybody that is a part of the LGBTQ community has a mental disorder,'" said Tristan.
"I can't even go to the commissary anymore with my boyfriend without getting laughed at by other students," he said. Commissaries are the supermarkets of military bases.
"Most frightening, from the student side, is the lack of clarity," Matthew said. He said Defense Department officials haven't clarified the new policies, or explained why certain programs and clubs are unable to meet.
"It creates this atmosphere of paranoia that keeps people from talking freely about things," he said. "They are fearing that there's something deeper going on that they're not able to learn about."
Tristan said the school was "very helpful" in planning out the protest and agreed to let it go forward. School administrators were asking Ramstein's base commander if the students could safely bring the demonstration to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa and of NATO Allied Air Command, both located on the base.
"DoDEA respects the rights of our students to engage in peaceful expressions of their opinions through speech and other ways provided that it is done respectfully, does not interfere with the rights of others, and does not disrupt learning in the school," Griffin said.
But some students feared they or their parents could suffer retribution for participating.
"I'm exercising extreme caution, and I don't know that I want to put my name on it," said Matthew. He worried that his parents could face repercussions to their career if they were seen as violating their military mission by allowing him to join.
Tristan said he hopes Thursday's protest shows other students "that they don't have to be afraid to speak up against the government. They have a voice, and they should use it."
Mod
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/w......"
Good for the students for walking out!! They should get local German students to help them and make life really difficult for teachers (and to throw eggs etc. and worse at any government "official" that comes visiting).
SIGH! In the very blue state of Rhode Island, there have been challenges to books but... the Rhode Island State Council of Churches support the anti-book ban bill but some of the language is tricky because according to the bill, the Bible shouldn't be in reach of children. If you're curious to hear the testimonies in support of freedom to read, I've been alerted to Capitol TV
https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show...
From EveryLibraryA study https://libslide.org/ noted that in the ten years between the 2008–09 and 2018–19 academic years, the number of librarians declined while the number of students and other faculty members rose.
Today, less than 30% of schools have school librarians.
It’s a well-known, research-backed fact that access to a school librarian is the leading indicator of student achievement.
Of course, this should mean these libraries receive all the funding they need, right?
Surprisingly (and unfortunately), this isn’t often the case.
Even more alarming is that many school libraries are not receiving budget increases and are actually receiving budget cuts.
Many school librarians are being laid off, reduced to part-time hours, or split across multiple campuses.
Well-funded library programs are strongly associated with better student learning outcomes; therefore, cutting library budgets would logically decrease those outcomes.
Part of the appeal of libraries is that they allow students to learn on their own terms. While some students dislike school, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t like to learn.
Many students have trouble motivating themselves to learn what schools say they need to learn. However, if they can learn on their own terms via the library, they’ll naturally pick up those school-required concepts along the way.
Cutting library funding removes students’ opportunities to learn in this way, decreasing their drive to learn overall.
If we want the next generation to grow into creatives, thinkers, and leaders, we must nurture their desire to learn.
Without access to school libraries, this becomes infinitely more difficult.
Florida eyes another change to school book challenge ruleshttps://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
A change to state law proposed by Sen. Stan McClain and Rep. Doug Bankson would give more weight to the parents and residents who come to school boards with objections to specific graphic passages in books.
To this point, the law has said schools may consider the overall artistic and literary merit of materials, meaning single lines or paragraphs including mention of s--, violence or drug use might not be enough to get an item removed.
The lawmakers seek to eliminate that provision for schools. If approved, the amendment could mean a lot more work for media specialists and principals.
https://enews.elist.tampabay.com/q/8k...
Sen. Stan McClain and Rep. Doug Bankson have filed legislation ... they propose doing away with the literary value criteria for schools, which would likely lead school media specialists to look more closely at individual passages, much like the critics have done, rather than at the entirety of a book.
One thing the lawmakers haven’t changed yet, though, is the role of the media specialist. It wasn’t that long ago that the legislature increased their authority, saying all books “must be selected by a school district employee who holds a valid educational media specialist certificate, regardless of whether the book is purchased, donated, or otherwise made available to students.”
That provision could have implications on the other half of Moms for Liberty’s efforts, which have grown to include getting books advancing its philosophy into schools in addition to getting other materials pulled out.
MFL's Hernando County chapter recently donated about four dozen books to the local school district as part of that endeavor. The list of titles, published by Suncoast News, includes only one — “Chasing Embers” by conservative commentator Glenn Beck — that’s currently in the Hernando district’s catalog.
Also on the list are some of the Tuttle Twins series, published by the Libertarian Libertas Network and pushed by Moms for Liberty, and five books from the Heroes of Liberty series published by a former writer for the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Stephana Ferrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, said the district, which has a school board majority that’s been friendly to removing and replacing books, should not simply slap barcodes on to the donations and make them available to children.
“As parents, we expect the district to apply the same standards to all materials, regardless of their viewpoint,” Ferrell said.
District spokesperson Karen Jordan said that will happen.
The district has a process in place for any book donated by any individual or group, Jordan said. It requires the donor to fill out a form with all the book information, including which schools it’s intended for.
Media specialists go through the items, including a review of whether they meet state and local standards. Before anything is added, a school-based committee that includes parents, community members staff, and administrators also must approve.
The district makes it clear that not everything will be accepted, asking on its donor form whether the donor wants the books back if they’re not approved.
PennsylvaniaElizabethtown school board considers revising policy to remove books with s-----lly explicit content
https://lancasteronline.com/news/regi...
Board members discussed revising the library materials policy to allow for the removal of books with s---ally explicit content. James Gilles, policy committee chair, advocated for revising Policy 109, saying the existing version does not go far enough in complying with a state law that prohibits disseminating explicit s---al materials to minors.
The policy change prompted a review and categorization of the more than 46,000 books in the district’s libraries. On March 11, Superintendent Karen Nell reported that over 1,600 books remain to be categorized.
Gilles wants to add definitions and criteria for removal of the following: visual or visually implied depictions of s--ual acts or simulations of s---al acts; explicit written descriptions of s-- acts; nonexplicit written references to s-- acts, except for teaching students to avoid and report molestation; and visual depictions of nudity except materials for anatomical diagrams, science and health instruction, and classical works of art. Gilles said he’s not looking to remove profanity and graphic violence.
Wilson, Danielle Lindemuth, Kelly Carter and Vice President James Emery expressed support for revising the policy. President Stephen Lindemuth suggested adding a time frame, such as books published after 2000, so that classics like “1984” and “Catcher in the Rye” would be “immune” to the revisions. Wilson stated that when she and other school board candidates were campaigning, they went door-to-door, talking to residents about explicit library books and vowing to remove them. Wilson felt she betrayed voters when that didn’t happen, she added.
“We need to get rid of that trash,” Wilson said. “We promised we would, and we need to do it.”
Kristy Moore contended that none of the district’s library books fall under the state law Gilles cited. “And to insinuate that it would is incredibly insulting to our librarians. To suggest that they would include books in that category shows an absolute disregard for their professionalism and their profession,” Moore said. The community doesn’t need another fight over books, she added. “Do not waste any more district resources on exercises in censorship,” she urged. Theia Hofstetter said the school library does contain books with inappropriate content and suggested that a resource like Book Looks could easily determine if a book contains s--ual content.
The board will vote when it meets at 6 p.m. March 26 on whether to revise the policy. After the meeting, Gilles said that if the board moves forward, the policy revision would follow the usual process of first and second readings before final approval. The first reading could take place as early as April, he said.
TexasLlano County has reached a settlement with Suzette Baker, the librarian who would not ban books that she was being pressured to remove.
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/...
The county eventually removed 17 books, ranging from the children’s book “I Broke My Butt!” to the nonfiction work “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent.” Outside of Baker's lawsuit, the county is still facing a federal First Amendment lawsuit over the book removals. The book removal campaign and resulting litigation have drawn national attention to Llano, a rural Texas community in the Hill Country about 80 miles northwest of Austin.
The settlement announcement comes a day before a documentary film about Baker's story will be featured at the South by Southwest festival. Showings will be held Saturday and Sunday in Austin.
Baker, a 57-year-old veteran and mother of five adult children, has worked as a cashier at a hardware store for the past year.
In August, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman found that she had plausible claims for First Amendment retaliation, wrongful termination and employment discrimination in an order denying the county's motion to dismiss. The ruling made clear that officials would have to settle or take the case to trial.
...
The parties will notify the court of a final settlement and ask for the case to be dismissed within 45 days, according to Thursday's filing.
In a separate First Amendment case over the book removals, Llano County and seven library patrons who sued it are still waiting on a ruling from the federal 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court's full bench will decide whether to strike down a 30-year-old precedent that bars government officials and librarians in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana from removing books “simply because they dislike the ideas within them.”
Led by attorney Jonathan Mitchell, the county has argued that the precedent lets federal courts meddle too much in local public libraries' book purchases and removals. Mitchell has also argued those curation decisions are “government speech, immune from First Amendment scrutiny.”
While the case is pending, officials have frozen book purchases at the county's three public libraries. According to Mitchell, the dispute could eventually make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
South Carolina’s state book banning committee is considering the removal of 10 more books statewide.https://www.wspa.com/news/state-news/...
Critics have called the regulation too vague.
“My concern is that section of state law broadly defines s--ual conduct as a simple description of s--ual intercourse,” said Patrick Kelly, director of government affairs for the Palmetto Teachers Association.
Kelly said that the broad definition could mean that foundational educational texts could be up for removal.
“So if you have a book that simply describes that act, then it’s potentially age-inappropriate and it doesn’t have to be a graphic description or explicit description, simply describing,” Kelly continued. “So the bible describes s--ual conduct, the works of Shakespeare describe s--ual conduct.”
According to the Department of Education, the regulation is not book banning. Officials said it’s dictating what books the government should buy.
So far, the board has removed 11 of the 17 books that have been challenged.
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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curatingbanning obsession.https://flvoicenews.com/florida-bill-...
and
the good news is the judge seems to side with the publishers, authors, librarians and actual parental rights people (MY child MY control, not EVERY child MY control).
Judge refuses to dismiss lawsuit over removal of school library books in Florida
Six publishing companies, The Authors Guild, five authors and two parents filed the lawsuit Aug. 29 in federal court in Orlando
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/j...
With major publishing companies and authors arguing a 2023 Florida law violates First Amendment rights, a federal judge Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against members of the State Board of Education over the removal of school library books.
U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza rejected a state motion to dismiss the case, which also names as defendants members of the Orange County and Volusia County school boards.
Six publishing companies, The Authors Guild, five authors and two parents filed the lawsuit Aug. 29 in federal court in Orlando. It is one of a series of lawsuits stemming from the 2023 education law and related decisions by school districts to remove books from library shelves or to restrict access.
The lawsuit centers on parts of the law (HB 1069) that seek to prevent availability of reading material that is “pornographic” or “describes sexual conduct.” The publishing companies, authors and other plaintiffs contend, for example, that the prohibition on material that describes sexual conduct is overly broad in violation of the First Amendment.
The state’s attorneys raised a series of arguments in seeking dismissal, including that the selection of library books is “government speech” and not subject to the First Amendment. Also, the motion to dismiss the case said the “government does not generally violate the First Amendment when it withdraws a benefit that merely facilitates the exercise of a constitutional right.”
But in turning down such arguments, Mendoza wrote that the state fails “to grapple with the fact that discretion is what this statute removes.” Books can be removed if parents object to their content.
“What the court is faced with today is a regime built around not a librarian’s sound judgment but rather any parent’s objection, however capricious,” Mendoza wrote. “What plaintiffs appear to allege is that school librarians have been stripped of their broad discretion because they must remove objected to books that do not contain obscene material and may not undertake a ‘holistic evaluation or consideration of their literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.’”
he state board members’ motion also contended that any “alleged injury is not fairly traceable to (them) and thus not redressable by a decision against them because they only have general supervisory authority over the true actors removing books — the local school boards,” Mendoza wrote.
But he rejected that argument because the state board approved a form that is used to object to books.
“Who caused the injury? While it may be local officials that physically remove the books, it is state defendants’ interpretation of the statute — contained in the objection form — that plaintiffs challenge in this action,” Mendoza wrote.
He added, “Because the objection form is ‘prescribed by State Board of Education rule,’ pursuant to (state law), state defendants are at the root of plaintiffs’ alleged injury.”
Friday’s decision does not resolve the underlying case. Mendoza has scheduled a May 21 hearing on motions for summary judgment.
The plaintiffs in the case are publishing companies Penguin Random House LLC, Hachette Book Group, Inc., HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, Simon & Schuster, LLC and Sourcebooks LLC; The Authors Guild; authors Julia Alvarez, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jodi Picoult and Angie Thomas; and parents Heidi Kellogg and Judith Anne Hayes.