Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Missouri - A bill would ban so-called “p----raphic” content in library databases, even though no such thing exists, and punish libraries that provide such access.https://www.news-leader.com/story/new...
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.
“What we need is an enforcement mechanism that requires school districts to get ahead (of the content) and gives them the obligation of screening things before they hand them to the children,” she said.
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 se--al 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.
Also in MissouriLee’s Summit parents have more control over what their kids check out from the school library
https://www.kcur.org/education/2025-0...
Melanie Olson-Cox loves to talk to her three children in the Lee’s Summit School District about what they’re reading. She’ll read along with them, if she’s able. She keeps an eye on their reading material, but doesn’t restrict what they read.
In 2023, she joined a district committee to review books that people asked to be removed from the district’s shelves, the majority of them for high school readers. Olson-Cox said most of the dozens of challenged library materials stayed.
“I think that's an age group that understands their rights as a reader and can manage their access to those materials,” Olson-Cox said. “But it's great to have conversations with your kids.”
But some Lee’s Summit Board of Education members said they’ve heard from parents concerned about what content their children can access in school libraries. At a November meeting, they requested district librarians look into ways parents could have more control over what their children check out.
Starting this month, parents can place their student on a restricted checkout status. Parents can call their school’s librarian and list up to 20 titles that their student won’t be able to check out.
Amy Taylor, the district’s coordinator of library and media services, said the process was the best option to meet those concerns.
“It is our mission to make sure that our students and our staff have access to information and to library instruction, and we also want to empower them to be readers and critical thinkers,” Taylor said. “We are dedicated to making sure that mission happens, but also meet the needs that were requested from community members and from our board.”
Taylor said the move won’t change the library checkout process much, but will formalize the existing procedure. She said parents have always had the option to ask school librarians to keep certain titles from their student.
Previously, a self-checkout option meant students could circumvent that process. Now, students on the restricted list need to check out with a librarian, and their parents will receive an email every evening listing what they checked out.
Students also won’t have access to the online library through district devices.
Taylor said despite those changes, librarians' jobs will largely stay the same. She said they’ve always had conversations with families about what students are checking out, and encouraged them to be involved.
“We want them to read along with their students, whether that be reading a book to them when they're in elementary school, or reading the same copy of a book that an older child might bring home,” Taylor said.
Olson-Cox said she doesn’t see it as a change, but as making families more aware of the existing process and integrating it with existing software they use to check on students’ classes and grades.
A district spokesperson said it already has the software for the updated process.
Olson-Cox said she thinks the district’s librarians are highly trained to decide what materials they should offer in their libraries, but appreciated the district for finding a solution for parents dissatisfied with the current review system – though she’s not sure families will use it.
“If you're already involved in your students' education, and you're paying attention to what's going on, I'm not sure I felt the need to restrict materials,” Olson-Cox said. “But it's always good to be aware of what they're reading.”
The Lee’s Summit School District spent thousands of dollars in 2023 reviewing books challenged by a group of five community members and one parent. Olson-Cox said some of them did not have students in the district or had not read the book they complained about.
A bill in the Missouri Legislature would require people who challenge material in public libraries or public schools to sign an affidavit affirming that they have read the entirety of the challenged material and live in the taxing district where they filed a complaint.
Other legislation would ban material considered explicit from digital libraries. Parents would also be able to sue school staff, including board members or librarians, who violate the law.
The Lee’s Summit School District retained most of its challenged books, but some parents worry more conservative members joining the school board last year mean future attempts to remove books could be more successful.
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At a November meeting with Lee’s Summit School Board members, school librarians said they received 89 formal reconsideration requests in the 2022-23 school year, but none of them came from parents whose children had checked out a book.
According to school district documents, it didn’t receive any requests in the 2023-24 school year.
Some board members still requested that librarians explore ways for parents to be more involved in the checkout process. Board member Heather Eslick said no one intends to ban books, but review committees chose to retain books she doesn’t believe are appropriate.
Board member Bill Haley, who joined the board last April, said he’s heard from parents who are concerned about what their children can access at school.
“I don't think that parent A should tell parent B's children what books they can read,” Haley said. “But I think parent A has every right to regulate what their children are exposed to, and I think we need to have a solution that accommodates that.”
Gregory doesn’t see many parents opting into the new restriction process. If they do, she thinks it will be a small group, similar to the one that made the original book challenges.
She thinks the ideal process would look like the one already in place.
“(Librarians) are professionals, they're educated, they're trained, they know their subject matter very well. And if I see my daughter with any sort of book, I'm glad that she's reading,” Gregory said. “And if I know that she got it at school, I trust that it's on grade level and that it belongs in the library.”
Vermont, a state with an anti-book ban lawVermont leaders are warning about an increase in attempts to censor and ban books is about to hit.
https://www.wcax.com/2025/03/07/vermo...
Panic in New Hampshire. What the heck New Hampshire?! Seriously?https://whav.net/2025/03/11/library-w...
The culture wars have come for several public libraries in New Hampshire, turning elections for library trustee into referendums on censorship, parental rights, budget cuts and membership in the American Library Association (ALA).
In Londonderry, a resident took to social media to accuse a candidate for library trustee of “pushing TRANS [sic] activism and LGBTQ+ ideology” on young children because she hosted a pride booth at Old Home Day.
At candidates’ night in Atkinson last week, the library trustee race was by far the most hotly contested, with the moderator saying there were so many written questions from residents “about ratings and p----graphy and drag queens and who should police what children can see” that he would have to pick and choose.
And in Goffstown, where conservatives could win a majority on the board, public library Director Dianne Hathaway said that could lead to changes in the library’s current policies, including one it updated a few years ago on challenges seeking to ban books, movies and other materials or remove them from the children’s section.
“What we’re seeing is a lot of challenges to books that deal with themes of LGBTQ+ (and) racism,” said Hathaway, who has dealt with four book challenges during her 26 years at the Goffstown library. “And people are challenging a list of 100 books or 10 books, and challenging them all at one time – and no library can handle that many challenges at once.”
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New Hampshire has seen few challenges to materials at public libraries, especially compared to the number of challenges to school library and classroom books, which have less legal protection because parents are not present on site.
State Rep. Sayra DeVito, R-Danville, who chairs the Rockingham County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative organization that has been active nationally in seeking to remove and reclassify library materials, said in an email that “We only endorse in school board races and we do not get involved in local public library policies.”
Still, challenges have climbed in New Hampshire in recent years. According to the American Library Association’s online database, there were between zero and five attempts annually to challenge books and other library materials through 2020.
Then in 2021, there were eight challenges to a total of 14 titles. In 2022, there were 12 challenges to 41 titles, and in 2023, the latest year for which statistics are posted, there were 13 challenges to 18 titles.
Atkinson library trustee candidate Arlene Quaratiello, a former Republican state representative and librarian turned English teacher, introduced a bill in the state Legislature last year that would have required librarians to tell parents of any child under 18 what their children have checked out.
While Quaratiello’s bill failed to get the 60 percent vote needed for passage, a similar bill, House Bill 273, was introduced this year by state Rep. Ross Berry, R-Weare, and was approved along partisan lines by the House Judiciary Committee. It is awaiting action by the House.
New Hampshire privacy law currently prevents librarians from releasing anyone’s library records, Quaratiello noted at candidates’ night.
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Jill Ottow, current chair of Kimball Library’s Board of Trustees, said that in Atkinson, parents do have access to their children’s records until they are 16. That’s because to get a library card, a patron must submit an email and phone number and show a picture ID that confirms town residency.
Until they turn 16 and get a driver’s license, children must apply for a library card with their parent’s or guardian’s ID and contact information, which the parents can use to look up their children’s borrowing records online.
“Parents have 24/7 access to their children’s library records,” Ottow said.
Marion Stanley, who is running alongside Quaratiello, said she thought the library should adopt a rating system like those for movies.
Kane Guthrie, who is running alongside Ottow, said he trusts the town’s librarians, who, under New Hampshire law, have responsibility for selecting library materials. They also organize them by reading level, not content, because different families think different books are appropriate for their children, he said.
“There are no harmful materials at our library, and certainly not in the children’s section. I know, because I have been through every shelf with my daughter as she has progressed in her reading abilities,” said Guthrie, who is PTA secretary for the town’s elementary school.
“Parents should never outsource what is right for our children to some outside group, elected official or government agency.”
Although in Atkinson the candidates have divided along party lines for what are supposed to be nonpartisan offices, many Republicans support “freedom to read” policies.
Jordan Willow Evans, who is running for library trustee in Goffstown and is currently assistant chair of the board, is both a transgender woman and registered Republican with strong Libertarian and local control views.
She thinks that libraries should serve everyone in the community, including subgroups that include conservative Christian homeschooling parents and LGBTQ+ patrons.
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Likewise, in Londonderry, library trustee Liz Thomas – a pillar of the local, county and state Republican parties and wife of Republican state Rep. Doug Thomas – recommended that Beth Marrocco be appointed to a temporary vacancy on the board.
The person posting on Granite Grok under a pseudonym who had called Marrocco a “DEI/Trans-LGBTQ groomer” asked why Thomas had recommended a “leftist Marxist DEI proponent” when more conservative candidates had already been suggested.
Fortunately, the post didn’t get much traction, says Erica Laue, another candidate for library trustee in Londonderry, where eight people are running for three open seats. However, the temporary vacancy was left unfilled.
“The emphasis on parents’ rights is more about control than about children’s wellbeing,” she says.
Libraries are also under attack on the budget front. Some of those attacks are coming from within, from trustees who are running or were elected on fiscally conservative platforms.
In Goffstown, one member of the budget committee tried to cut a staff position, which would have led to cuts in programs and hours, Hathaway said.
Another budget committee member, Brian Mazur, made an unsuccessful motion to cut out library dues to the ALA, the New Hampshire Library Association and the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association, because they have lobbyists, Hathaway said.
Mazur is the husband of state Rep. Lisa Mazur, R-Goffstown, a library trustee who doesn’t have a library card and opposed the release of that information. Lisa Mazur has said she thinks the library should be staffed by volunteers, which is not allowed under state law, Hathaway said.
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In Atkinson, town budget committee member Peter Torosian, a former state representative who is now running for select board, succeeded in his motion to cut the exact amount of ALA dues from the library’s budget. The money was restored by voters at the town deliberative session last year.
But Atkinson has been operating under a default budget for the past two years. The library was the only town department asked to “give back” $25,000 in one of those years, and last year, all departments had to trim their spending further, despite rising costs.
That’s led to an effective 10 percent cut in the library’s operating budget and led it to restrict how many ebooks, audiobooks and digital movies patrons can access each month. There’s no fat in Kimball Library’s budget, Guthrie said.
“Last year, they cut the public water fountain, cut the printer – and these cuts make the library less welcoming to our community,” he said.
Also in NHHere’s how the current public library board election in Goffstown could fundamentally change that public library.
https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-03-...
In Goffstown, a fight between politicians and the public library is spilling over into this week’s local elections and new legislation at the State House. The results could have ramifications well beyond Goffstown itself.
The controversy started last fall, when some Republicans objected to a candidate survey organized by staff at the Goffstown Public Library, claiming it was a form of electioneering and showed a bias in favor of Democrats. Both a judge and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office rejected that argument.
In the end, the survey didn’t seem to hurt the Republicans who complained about it — their party swept all of Goffstown’s seats in the State House in November’s elections. But now, some of those same lawmakers are trying to outlaw future questionnaires and make other changes to how public institutions can participate in conversations around elections. One of those lawmakers is also running for a seat on the library’s board of trustees this week, in an effort to shape the way the library is run.
Rep. Joe Alexander — a New Hampshire House member who has accused the town’s library of political bias — said at a recent candidate forum held at the Goffstown High School that he’s looking to make sure the library serves a wide range of people, including ensuring that kids materials are age appropriate.
He also stated that he believes the library’s questionnaire issued before the November election was “blatantly” favorable to Democrats.
“I believe we have an interest as a state Legislature to make sure that we're making sure our employees are not electioneering, and we strongly believe they were electioneering,” Alexander said.
The survey asked candidates things like how they would meet the unique challenges of marginalized communities in the area. It also asked how candidates plan to tackle the rise of healthcare costs and how they would engage with constituents with different political views than themselves.
The state Department of Justice’s election law unit last year said the library’s survey was within the bounds of the law and consistent with past practice.
“Candidate forums and candidate questionnaires have a long history in New Hampshire, and [New Hampshire law] does not prohibit municipalities from conducting these types of activities,” wrote Brendan O’Donnell, chief of the department’s election law unit. “If you believe that additional limits should be placed on such activities, you are of course free to seek a legislative change.”
That’s just what some Republicans upset by the Goffstown library’s survey are now doing. A bill now in the Legislature would change state law so that such questionnaires can’t be issued by public institutions like libraries and even public universities. Public institutions also would be forbidden to hold candidate forums or discuss warrant articles that could appear on ballots in upcoming elections. Any person associated with a public institution could be fined if they are seen as electioneering.
Rep. Ross Berry, a Weare Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors, said the bill stems directly from the Goffstown library’s candidate survey.
“If they're publicly funded, it's not just a library,” Ross said. “Any publicly funded institution like that has no business participating in the political process. Government should be strictly neutral when it comes to the electoral process.”
Dianne Hathaway, the library’s director, sees the bill as backlash, especially with the attorney general’s office ruling that what the library is did wasn’t illegal. Hathaway feels that the legislative response is unwarranted — and potentially dangerous.
“I feel like it's an attack on the mission of libraries and communities, and I think that’s intentional,” Hathaway said. “I think that many of our state representatives are anti-library and their actions definitely support that statement.”
Alexander, the Goffstown Republican lawmaker, is co-sponsoring the bill Berry is behind. He’s also running for a two-year seat on the library’s board of trustees in Tuesday’s town election. There are three open seats on the board.
At the candidate forum last month, those running for the library board said they want to make sure the library reaches its full potential. Some called for the library to have more expansive services for older adults and hours that are more accessible. A few cited fiscal responsibility as part of their concerns, and candidates expressed opinions about whether privacy is ensured at the library.
Many residents of Goffstown said they hadn't heard of the legislation in the State House inspired by their library, though many expressed affection for the institution.
“I love the library,” John Deluca said. “The library doesn’t get the support that it should.”
Deluca said that the forums have been informative for him and he doesn’t see an issue with partisanship in the library’s questionnaires.
Alan Garfield and Brad Carr, two Goffstown residents chatting at a local coffee shop, said they found the library’s questionnaires more reliable than what politicians say themselves.
The Missouri Secretary of State just suspended payments to OverDrive, affected rural patrons, young patrons and those without cars.Missouri Secretary of State Suspends E-Book Service Over Culture War Concerns About Minors”
https://www.infodocket.com/2025/03/10...
From The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Following the lead of his predecessor, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins Monday entered the ongoing conservative culture war skirmish against so-called inappropriate reading material being made available to minors.
While former Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft put a target on printed material in libraries during his tenure, Hoskins is aiming at a digital platform that lets users download and read books on their smartphones, tablets and laptops.
In an announcement, Hoskins said he had suspended state funding to an app named OverDrive, which has received $160 in state payments this fiscal year, saying he believes allegations it gives minors access to inappropriate materials.
The company, which has received under $12,000 in state funds since 2022, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Rachael Dunn, spokeswoman for the secretary of state, said the move was in direct response to the bill and “agency investigations involving digital library catalogs.”
Overdrive and its other apps like Sora and Libby allow library patrons to check out digital copies of books and audiobooks online.
The Secretary of State’s Office, which runs the state library, helps fund access to Overdrive and its applications for a network of schools and libraries called the Missouri Research and Education Network, or MOREnet.
The office’s $3.1 million appropriation to MOREnet, of which $30,000 is directed to Overdrive, funds access to databases and discounts for services like Overdrive.
Nebraska’s bill to make it easier for parents to know what’s in their kids’ school library collection is closer to passage. Unnecessarily because parents can just look in the online catalog! https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/a...
bill requiring all public school districts to adopt a policy so parents can see what materials are in school libraries advanced with a vote Tuesday after a roughly 90-minute debate.
State Sen. Dave Murman of Glenvil, who filed Legislative Bill 390, said during its hearing that the bill is an important next step after the Legislature updated parental access to curriculum content and training last year. The proposed law would require creating a public online or hard-copy catalog of all books in the district’s libraries, categorized by school building.
Under the bill, parents also could opt in for automatic email notification or another form of electronic notification when their student checks out a book. The book title, author and due date to return the book would be included in the notice.
“This is important so parents can be fully informed and make knowledgeable and family-specific decisions on the content their children are reading,” Murman said on the floor Tuesday.
Murman said different families have different values and should have oversight over what their children read. The Republican is one of three lawmakers who proposed bills that could infuse more religion into public schools and test the legal limits of the separation of church and state.
State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha called the bill a “watered down book ban” and said it doesn’t solve any actual issue. Hunt left the Nebraska Democratic Party in 2023 and is currently registered as a nonpartisan but typically votes with the Democrats in the Legislature.
“Instead of focusing on teacher shortages, on cuts to funding, on whatever nonsense is happening at the federal level that is freaking teachers out right now in Nebraska,” Hunt said. “Schools will now have to waste resources on redundant bureaucracy.”
State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln defended the bill, though she agreed it might be unnecessary. Conrad is a registered Democrat and a former executive director of ACLU Nebraska.
“It is not a book ban. It is not the weaponization of the criminal law against libraries,” Conrad said. “It restates and reaffirms parental rights that already exist.”
Hunt was the only vote against moving Murman’s bill out of the Education Committee. Last year, the Nebraska State Board of Education rejected a push to define and ban s---ally explicit books and materials from school libraries. Much of the floor debate alluded to that failed book ban.
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LB 390 moved forward with a 25-2 vote. Hunt said giving “conservative Republicans what they want” won’t make them willing to work with more liberal lawmakers.
The Lapeer Public Library (MI) director has resigned. https://thecountypress.mihomepaper.co...
Frustrated by a lack of support by new appointed library board members, Lapeer District Library (LDL) Director Danielle Brigati resigned effective 5 p.m. Friday (March 7), nearly two weeks following an LDL Board of Directors meeting when a performance evaluation was conducted.
According to former LDL Board chairman Bill Marquardt, Brigati was so upset following the evaluation she received when some members placed a “zero” score on evaluation questions that she didn’t return to the meeting after the board conducted her evaluation in closed session at the Feb. 20 meeting.
Brigati was hired in July 2024, and didn’t complete her first year on the job in the director’s position.
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There has been a lot of turmoil at the LDL administrative level since 2023 when controversy exploded regarding a book called Gender Queer — a 2019 memoir written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe. It recounts Kobabe’s journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author’s exploration of gender identity and sexuality, ultimately identifying as being outside of the gender binary.
Many residents demanded Gender Queer be removed from the library’s shelves. Former library director Churchill stood by the book, and so did most community members who spoke during the public comment portions of board meetings.
At the Feb. 20 meeting, the LDL Board elected new officers. Previous chairman Marquardt of Lapeer lost his chairman position. Kari Kohlman of Deerfield Township, who was appointed to the Board by the Lapeer County Board of Commissioners, was voted chairman. John Deangelis of Metamora, also a Lapeer County appointee to the Board, made the motion to name Kohlman chairman. Board member Peggy Brotzke made a motion to name Deangelis vice chairman, supported by Kohlman. Brotzke was named Board secretary after Kohlman nominated her for the position, which was supported by Deangelis.
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At the Feb. 20 meeting, Brotzke stated contrary to social media rumors, she doesn’t have a list of 2,500 book titles she wants to remove from the library.
Library officials and many citizens at recent LDL Board meetings have expressed concern that new library board appointees may have an agenda to purge the library system of books and material that showcase diversity.
Brotzke says otherwise, but the concern and suspicion continues among many in the community.
The LDL charter requires library directors to have a master’s degree in library sciences.
“I’m really concerned about how we get a new director. The library has had two directors in two years. That’s not good. The Gender Queer mess pretty much drove Amy Churchill out of here,” said Marquardt.
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Coincidentally two weeks prior there was a blow-up at the board meeting
https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2025...
A controversial former city council member will be the newly appointed member of Garfield County Libraries in Colorado. https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/soci...
Garfield County commissioners on Monday unanimously selected attorney and former Glenwood Springs City Council member Tony Hershey to represent the city on the public library board amid ongoing controversy over the selection process and whether book restrictions should be considered at the county’s six libraries.
The library seat has been open since Jan. 1 after Commissioners Tom Jankovsky and Mike Samson were unable to agree on whether to reappoint incumbent trustee Susan Use, a former librarian and teacher who served on the Board of County Commissioners for the past four years, or another of the nine applicants. Instead, they reopened applications for the position and pushed a selection until after newly elected Commissioner Perry Will took office.
After the latest round of candidate interviews, conducted Feb. 27, the library board once again recommended that the commissioners reappoint Use out of the four recent applicants. Hershey received the next highest number of top-pick votes from trustees, and when discussing their top second choice, a majority selected Maureen Biermann, who helps manage the library at Colorado Mountain College’s Spring Valley campus.
Although Hershey’s last experience working directly with libraries was in high school, where he was a library aide, he’s a current and long-serving prosecutor with the district attorney’s office in Glenwood Springs and served on the Aspen City Council and, most recently, the Glenwood Springs City Council.
In 2023, he lost his reelection bid after denying calls for his resignation from fellow City Council members over a range of allegations, including unethical behavior during an executive session, creating a hostile work environment and not fulfilling his role on the City Council. He sued the city of Glenwood Springs in November 2023 alleging that the City Council violated the open meetings law in how it handled the firing of a former city manager. A judge ruled in Hershey’s favor and required the city to turn over the recording from an executive session.
Asked by Aspen Journalism and Aspen Public Radio about his controversial history, Hershey acknowledged his reputation as “a pot-stirrer,” but he said he sees value in speaking his mind.
“I raised issues that they didn't like, so I'm not going to be silenced by either side on any issue. So, yeah, they did ask for me to resign, and I said, ‘No, thank you.’ And it was over,” Hershey said.
He added: “As an attorney, trust me, that's a different role than I have as a board member on the library board and as a City Council person, which is, I think, a more political, you know, advocacy role than this one.”
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Although the commissioners thanked former trustee Use for her service, they also expressed disappointment that she and other members had not made certain changes in response to a citizens petition led by two local residents to restrict or remove books with parental advisory warnings.
“I wish the library board would have just met the desires of, I believe, the vast majority of people in this county concerning the issue at hand,” Samson said. “But they didn't, and it came to a loggerhead, and now we're here, and we're making the decisions that we're making.”
According to library district Executive Director Jamie LaRue, the libraries haven’t had any complaints from parents who have had an issue with their child trying to read or check out adult books, but the petition nonetheless prompted commissioners to take a more active role in the board appointment process.
The commissioners have also received a counterpetition from the citizen-led group Protect Our Garfield County Libraries. The group, which posits that the local controversy targets LGBTQ-related books and is fueled by a national book-banning effort, has been calling for the commissioners to reinstate the library board’s ability to lead the selection of its own members.
The issue has taken center stage during all four of the trustee appointments over the past year, including in the last round, in December, when commissioners chose local author Stephanie Hirsch over the library board’s recommendation to reappoint incumbent Carbondale trustee Jocelyn Durrance, who had worked at local libraries for decades.
During applicant interviews for the Glenwood Springs position last month, Hershey and the other three candidates were again asked to share their views on restricting kids’ access to books with mature content.
“Children shouldn't have access to adult material — I think 99% of people can agree to that,” Hershey said during his interview Feb. 27. “But how do you do that without impeding other people's rights to access the things that they want to do?”
Hershey made several suggestions to commissioners and the library board, including using technology to apply the same policies that libraries have for protecting kids from certain material on the internet, although he did not provide specifics about how such a system might work when it comes to books.
“We have adult sections, we have library staff, and I wish we had more, but that can ensure that books for adults are seen only by adults, and they're not in the children's area,” Hershey said. “It's also incumbent on parents and teachers who take their kids to the library to ensure the kid is not looking at things that aren’t appropriate.”
With Hershey’s appointment Monday, four of the seven trustees are newcomers to the library board, but he told commissioners and the library trustees that he hopes to bring a fresh perspective to ensure that the county’s libraries continue to thrive.
“I am not looking to go into this board and, like, set the place on fire. … My goal is to bring people together and resolve some of these issues. You know, let's get to the bottom of what some people say is not an issue, and other people say is a big issue, and then let's move forward,” Hershey told Aspen Journalism and Aspen Public Radio. “I think the last thing we want to do is just fight and fight and fight and get nothing done and jeopardize funding and waste money and chase away staff or chase away users of the library.”
QNPoohBear wrote: "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 ongoing saga, this one back to the schools
Alpena Public Schools (MI) are now in the midst of trying to “streamline” their library collection policies. (I.e. make it easier for material to be pulled off shelves. )
https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/lo...
At the Alpena Public Schools board workshop meeting Monday night, board member Eric Lawson suggested a change in board policy that sparked controversy with some of his colleagues.
The policies that Lawson discussed amending were Policy 2521 and Policy 9130.
Policy 2521 dictates the selection of instructional materials, equipment, and media.
“The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines for the selection and maintenance of all educational and instructional materials, equipment, and media,” the policy reads. “In addition s/he shall periodically, provide for a systematic review, by the Board, of the District’s educational resources in order to ensure that they are appropriate for the current educational program. Any revisions that occur should be a result of the school-improvement process.”
Policy 9130 deals with public complaints and grievances.
The policy walks through the process of how parents, guardians, or community members can approach the district with complaints. Lawson was specifically concerned about the process in place for matters regarding instructional materials.
For any complaint, the district first asks for complainants to resolve the situation informally. At the meeting, Superintendent Dave Rabbideau gave an example where a concerned community member approached him about a book in the junior high library. They had a conversation about the book and Rabbideau pulled the book from the shelf.
In situations where a complaint is not resolved informally, the complainant can move to the formal process. For educational materials, that includes first addressing the principal in writing detailing the issue. The principal can then appoint a review committee, which the complainant will be a part of.
If the complainant disagrees with the committee’s decision, they can appeal the decision through a written request to the superintendent. The superintendent will then give all the information related to the case to the board, who will come to a final decision about the matter.
“No challenged material may be removed from the curriculum or from a collection of resource materials except by action of the Board, and no challenged material may be removed solely because it presents ideas that may be unpopular or offensive to some,” The last paragraph of the policy reads. “Any Board action to remove material will be accompanied by the Board’s statement of its reasons for the removal.”
“The board, they make the final decision about any material, as far as removing it,” Lawson said. “If that is the case, I think it might be helpful to streamline this. Maybe put a sentence in both of these policies basically stating that the board can remove a material by a majority vote of the board because that’s really what it comes down to at the end of 9130.”
Board President Anna Meinhardt questioned Lawson on why a person could not just go through the formal process that is already in place.
“It’s a very long process,” he said in response.
Meinhardt said that no one has ever brought forth any material.
“It’s just strange, unless there’s an ulterior motive about why we’re doing this,” she said. “Like, if people are having problems, they’re not bringing us materials saying they have concerns.”
Lawson explained his point further.
“I could imagine a world in which someone would look at the process and say there’s no way I’m gonna get anything done that way,” Lawson said. “They might bring things to the board directly. The board looks at the material in question and decides, yes this should be removed, then the board should be able to vote to do so.
“Again, it’s not really changing anything, except that the board can do this when it sees fit as opposed to having to wait for this other process to take place.”
Rabbideau also expressed his concerns with Lawson’s proposal.
“I’m very concerned if at public comment, or, you know, on the streets, or through an email, someone can say, ‘I would like this removed,’ and all it takes is a majority vote of the board with no process defined to go through and do that,” he said.
Rabbideau said that most people that have had a problem with material in the curriculum have chosen to opt-out and solve the issue informally.
Meinhardt added that her kid was assigned to read “The Kite Runner” this year. She said that a note came home asking whether Meinhardt approved of the choice, otherwise, the teacher would find a different book.
“Taking staff out of the equation is crazy to me,” she said, referring to the part of the process where a committee chosen by the principal would review the material.
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“My recommendation is no,” Rabbideau said. “This opens the door to anyone that can make a compelling argument to five or four people on this board to remove something, that’s really dangerous.”
Lawson clarified that there could still be some sort of process for people approaching the board with a complaint, but just not as involved as the one currently in place.
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Board member Monica Dziesinski supported Lawson’s idea, saying that teachers could still be involved in the process through public comment at board meetings.
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Board member Sarah Fritz took issue with Lawson’s proposed changes, reiterating the point that nobody has ever used the process, and that Lawson was wasting time by bringing it up.
Lawson said that people have approached him with issues and Fritz asked why he hasn’t asked them to fill out the form for formal complaints.
“I think there’s just not a lot of faith, necessarily, that this will produce any action,” he said.
“How do you know it’s not going to produce any action if we don’t try it?” Fritz responded.
Lawson again stated his main point in response to Fritz’s objections.
“The board, given that it’s the final arbiter, I don’t believe it’s strange for the board to have some mechanism to do this itself, but you know, I’m just one guy,” he said.
In a phone interview, Lawson stated that a board member during the meeting made it sound like he was trying to eliminate the formal process for complaints about materials completely, but that is untrue. He said that complainants can still go through that process if they wish, but wants to offer the option of skipping a very long process if they choose to come directly to the board.
He also clarified that he has no problem with teacher input and that board members can absolutely seek staff input before voting on issues like removing material from the curriculum.
QNPoohBear wrote: "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......"
After pulling books from the shelves, Radnor Schools (PA) will actually revisit their policy on doing this!
https://www.inquirer.com/education/ra...
Another update on the lawsuit in New York where a chapter of Moms For Liberty have sued a school district for not removing books from the collection that they don’t like.https://www.fltimes.com/news/no-decis...
New York State Supreme Court judge reserved decision Monday on whether to grant Emilie Bastian, the library specialist at Clyde-Savannah, intervenor status in the ongoing appeal of the school district’s Board of Education decision to allow five books to remain on shelves.
In New York courts, an intervenor is a person who, upon timely motion and with permission from the court, joins an existing lawsuit to protect their own interests when a statute grants them the right to do so or the court, in its discretion, allows it. Intervention is a legal process where a person who is not an original party to a lawsuit is allowed to join the case.
The matter is being heard by Acting Albany County State Supreme Court Justice Denise Hartman. She is hearing the appeal brought by a Clyde minister and Moms for Liberty on the New York State Education Department’s decision to leave five books in Clyde-Savannah’s secondary school library, including Colleen Hoover’s mega-best seller “It Ends with Us” and Ellen Hopkins’ “People Kill People.”
In a court proceeding held remotely, Nathan Moelker, associate counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice’s Washington, D.C., office, argued on behalf of Moms for Liberty. He said that Bastian, as well as New York United Teachers, should not be granted intervenor status because they did not meet the legal requirements for it. Regardless of the status of the books, future decisions about library materials in the district are ultimately the board’s and not Bastian’s, Moelker argued. He added that her employment would not change.
Moelker also challenged NYSUT’s assertion in court papers that as the union that represents the state’s educators it has a vested interest in matters regarding the books an individual district has on its shelves.
NYSUT Attorney Christina French, who also represented Bastian, told Hartman that union members are committed to promoting State Ed’s guidance regarding diversity, which gives the union the right to be an intervenor in the matter. She also indicated that if the court overturned Education Commissioner Betty Rosa’s initial denial of the book appeal, it would affect Bastian’s ability to, at the direction of the board of education, make decisions regarding library materials.
These arguments come before the case can be decided on its merits. The Rev. Jacob Marchitell, who also listened in on Monday’s proceedings, initiated the book controversy in 2023, when he challenged the inclusion of five books in the district’s secondary school library. The school board, against the advice of an advisory committee that included Bastian, initially voted to remove the books, which Marchitell argued were p----graphic.
However, after Bastian and another district resident who is also a teacher — and backed by NYSUT — filed an appeal with the Education Department, the board reversed itself and restored the books, rendering Bastian’s appeal moot.
Marchitell, joined by Moms For Liberty, appealed the reversal. Rosa denied the appeal.
Marchitell and Moms For Liberty initiated an Article 78 proceeding against the state and the school district, which is what is pending before Hartman. The judge already has granted the New York Civil Liberties Union approval to file a brief of amicus curiae, also known as a “friend of the court” brief, in support of the Education Department and school district.
Brevard County Public Schools (FL) put up an intentionally biased committee to review several books. The committee has recommended banning three titles. The final decision on the future of the books goes before the full board later this month.https://bsky.app/profile/flfreedomrea...
PennsylvaniaObjection to Pine-Richland School Board candidate petition alleges forged signatures |
https://triblive.com/news/politics-el...
A legal objection requesting a judge set aside an election petition for a Pine-Richland School Board candidate alleges that several signatures appearing on her Democratic primary petition were falsified.
To register for the Democratic primary, candidates must acquire 10 signatures from Democrats in their election region. The objection, filed on March 17, questions the authenticity of five signatures on the petition of Kathleen Ravotti, who filed in both party primaries in Region 1 of the district.
It includes signed affidavits from four of Ravotti’s neighbors in Pine claiming they never signed the candidate’s petition and yet their names were included anyway. The objection was filed by Elizabeth DeLosa, an attorney also running in both primaries for Region 1.
She said the signature “discrepancies” were brought to the attention of Together for PR, a political organization that has opposed the current board majority, which alerted the neighbors.
One affidavit, from neighbors Owen and Angela Bates, said Ravotti approached them while they were doing yard work, asking the couple to sign her petition. When the couple declined, the affidavit said Ravotti drove away. But their signatures, which both wrote are false, are nonetheless included as the eighth and ninth ones on the petition.
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Another neighbor, Zachary Frombach, said in his affidavit that Ravotti had never even approached him or his wife, though both of their names appear on the petition. Instead, he said he received a call from a mutual acquaintance, Andy Van Blargan, asking him to sign. When he declined, he said Van Blargan pushed no further and the two exchanged pleasantries before hanging up.
“I did not agree to sign the petition, intend to sign the petition, nor did I suggest I was going to sign the petition,” Frombach wrote.
In an affidavit from Frombach’s wife, Julie, she also denied signing the petition, saying the name listed by her supposed signature is incorrect anyway.
Ravotti, the objection says, is a registered Republican, and her Republican primary petition is not in question. A staff attorney at Reed Smith, Ravotti previously interviewed to fill a vacant school board seat in 2021.
The objection asks the court to set aside and strike the petition, which would leave Ravotti off the Democratic ballot come February. The petition’s circulator, Kayla Van Blargan, signed a statement acknowledging the information included in the petition was true to the best of her knowledge. That statement is subject to penalties related to “unsworn falsification to authorities.”
Pine-Richland board gives itself final power over book selections at school libraryhttps://triblive.com/local/pine-richl...
After months of tumultuous debate, the Pine-Richland School Board voted 5-4 Monday night to pass a new library policy, amid outcry from community members who have labelled it a “book ban.”
The policy places the final power to add or remove district library books in the hands of the school board rather than the Pine-Richland superintendent. It went into effect immediately after the vote.
Previously, the district formed a committee for the review of 14 books challenged by parents in 2023, many of which focused on LGBTQ characters.
The committee offered recommendations to Superintendent Brian Miller, who ultimately recommended that the titles remain. Last year, board members started to revise the library policy to give themselves the final say on books. The policy has been criticized by opponents for its definitions of terms like “pervasive vulgarity” and “explicit s--ual content” and a 30-day waiting period for residents to challenge new books before they can be shelved.
The March 17 meeting was the culmination of the board’s efforts and came after numerous lengthy and embittered meetings, one of which dragged on for nearly seven hours.
Though board member Amy Terchick offered some last-ditch amendments to the policy, the board majority pressed on and approved the third and final read of the new policy.
Christina Brussalis, Michael Wiethorn, Leslie Miller, Phillip Morrissette and Lisa Hillman voted in favor of the new policy. Terchick, Ashley Fortier, Marc Casciani and Joe Cassidy voted against it.
Often absent from recent meetings, numerous supporters of the board majority appeared for the vote, lauding the efforts of the five during the drawn-out process.
Eli Santiago, a local resident, thanked the board for keeping its campaign promises. He said he did not view the policy as a book ban but rather a “judicious use of judgment” for excluding potentially inappropriate texts.
But many familiar community members showed up yet again in opposition to the board majority and the policy. Jennifer Beuse, a regular speaker who opposes the majority, came equipped with a yard sign reading “No Book Bans Here.”
John Folino, a Pine-Richland senior, said he supported the notion of parental rights, something many board members ran on, but questioned the intention of the policy and what he called the “flimsy” pretext of book challenges that brought it forward.
“The entire premise of proposing restrictions on books based on whatever beliefs anyone has is profoundly counterintuitive,” he said.
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Before the vote, Fortier — a consistent opposition voice on the board — offered an extended statement about the long process. She said the results of board votes often felt “predetermined” and criticized the treatment of teachers and librarians.
“A bad policy limits our ability to have exceptional educational experiences. Not every book in the library is for every student, but every student should have books that speak to them,” she said.
After the meeting, Morrissette, the board president, said the process had been “long, hard work,” and Brussalis said she was “happy” to see it passed. Casciani, who said he supported giving the board final say with minor adjustments to the prior policy, said he ultimately concluded the new one went “too far” with its definitions and board involvement.
It is unclear how the board will wield its new power or what exactly its review process will look like. But according to Chris Cafardi, an attorney and Pine-Richland parent, it is “guaranteed” to be challenged.
Cafardi said he plans to donate 10 to 15 books to the district, some of which may focus on LGBTQ characters or “issues of race.” In considering these titles, he said he expects the board to “unevenly apply” its book standards for different classes of people.
In the case of a legal battle, Cafardi said he expects the Pennsylvania branch of the ACLU, with which he has been in contact, to become involved.
The vote also comes about two months ahead of the May 20 primary elections, where four board seats will be up for the taking. The school district is divided into three regions, which each elect three members to the board.
This year, Terchick and Brussalis of Region 2 and Cassidy of Region 3 are up for reelection. Hillman of Region 1 did not file a petition to run again.
At least two nonincumbent candidates in each region, one of whom is Cafardi’s wife, Amy, also have filed petitions to run in the primaries. Almost all of them petitioned to be listed on both Democratic and Republican ballots.
Anyone in Texas?From the Texas Freedom to Read Project
https://www.txftrp.org/changing_affir...
DON'T CRIMINALIZE TEXAS LIBRARIANS.
Oppose SB412 & HB267.
EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES.
Emails are great. Calls are better. Find your rep's phone number here https://www.txftrp.org/r?u=0WnHnnubRX...
SB412 could be heard and voted on by the full Texas Senate as soon as this week.
HB267 will be heard TOMORROW, Wednesday, March 19 at 8AM, by the Texas House Committee on State Affairs. Click here : https://www.txftrp.org/r?u=ZIfQB_uoJB...
to provide written public testimony, remotely, ahead of the committee meeting. Be sure to select HB267. Public testimony can also be submitted in-person on the day of the meeting if you plan to attend the meeting. Find instructions for registering to provide in-person testimony here.
Criminalizing Teachers Won't Protect Texas Kids.
SB412 and HB267 would eliminate the affirmative defense for educators, but keep it for adults who marry children. These laws won't keep Texas kids safe.
In case you missed it, Texas bills like Mayes Middleton's SB412 and Jared Patterson's HB267 proposing to eliminate the affirmative defense for education, scientific and governmental reasons aren't actually going to do a whole lot to protect children because they maintain the exception that protects an adult married to a child to give that child spouse "obscene or otherwise harmful" material (ie p---graphy).
If Texas legislators really wanted to protect children from being sexualized, why didn't they file a bill that eliminates whatever Texas law permits CHILD MARRIAGE?! As parents of Texas children, we could get behind a law like that.
Fortunately for all of us, no educators are providing "harmful or otherwise obscene" materials to minors. Book banners have convinced themselves- and legislators- that changing the affirmative defense law is necessary for law enforcement to be able to prosecute librarians and teachers who offer students books they don't like.
Some of the books that have been targeted- and labeled "harmful" to the point of violating state law - include The Handmaid's Tale, Beloved, Slaughterhouse-Five, and A House on Mango Street. Children's picture books like Itty Bitty Kitty Corn and Freddie the Farting Snowman have been dubbed "p---graphic" and "s--ually inappropriate," too.
Texas book banners have been filing police reports on library books for years, but so far none of those complaints have resulted in any charges being filed. Those driving the book ban movement have convinced themselves- and our elected leaders- that eliminating the affirmative defense for educators will result in prosecution of librarians and teachers they believe are committing crimes by providing students with age relevant, educationally suitable books that depict diverse families, dystopian patriarchal societies, drug and alcohol use, s--ual abuse, romantic s--ual encounters, flatulence and fluffy pink kitty cats who want to become unicorns.
Since none of the books that have been the subject of criminal complaints actually meet the definition of "harmful or otherwise obscene," eliminating the affirmative defense for educators will not actually change the outcome of these types of complaints. However, what it will likely do is result in teachers and librarians engaging in more self censorship of books they know might invoke the ire of the pearl-clutching extremists who will not hesitate for a second to use this new law to scare and intimidate them into compliance with their absurd view of what they believe is "harmful and otherwise obscene."
To recap:
Library books do not sexualize children.
But child marriage does.
If you find this as absurd as we do, please contact your legislators and ask them to oppose SB412 and HB267. Or at the very least, ask them to remove the affirmative defense for legislators and adults married to children, too.
Add your name to the chorus of Texas parents, students, authors, librarians, educators, grandparents and concerned citizens- calling upon our state legislature and our fellow Texans to vigorously defend and uphold the freedom to read. Sign the letter :
https://www.txftrp.org/tx_freedom_to_...
From MoveOnhttps://www.mobilize.us/nea/map/?lat=...
Tomorrow, March 19, the National Education Association, one of the largest educator unions, is hosting “walk-ins” across the country. Join neighbors, leaders, and families like yours at community events to rally to protect our public schools! You can see if there is an event in your area here. Download a sign to bring with you, or just to post on social media or print and hang up at your house.
Call your member of Congress to demand they support funding for public education and share your story. Dial 1-855-249-6462 to get put directly in touch. You can say something like "Hi, my name is _____ and I am a constituent. I am calling to urge Rep. _____ to protect public education and students by rejecting any cuts to public schools. I oppose Trump's attempts to dismantle the Department of Education because it will hurt communities across the country. Congress must take action to save our public schools."
Show your solidarity with public school educators! Download and print a thank you card to thank the educators in your life for all they do for your kids and your community. While the administration is working to defund public education, educators will still be there to support their students however possible.
https://front.moveon.org/show-your-so...
The petition to demand Congress stop Trump from dismantling the Department of Education has reached nearly 200,000 signers -- this is huge! Thank you for signing and sharing your support.
I need my relative to return from abroad so I know what's going on on campus besides trying to free Palestine. I found this on I Love Libraries because no one tells me anything! (I DID read about the doctor on the sidebar story! That's outrageous too!)https://www.browndailyherald.com/arti...
Federal support for book bans will harm students, librarians warn
Brown University faculty explain the importance of access to diverse literature and the potential impacts of the restrictions.
Save IMLS! Show you love your library!Take Action To Save Federal Funding for Libraries!
Trump is attempting to destroy federal funding for libraries. We need you to take action today! That's why we made it easy to contact your reps, sign petitions, and learn about the Institute of Museum and Library Services here.
https://action.everylibrary.org/savei...
The news is very, very bad - authoritarian government censorship has arrived. In case you missed it, Last Friday, the president signed an Executive Order that targeted the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS is the only federal agency that provides funds to libraries and it makes up less than .005% of the federal budget.Kelly Jensen of BookRiot reports: "The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered the IMLS this week on Thursday. Though little verifiable information has emerged about what happened upon DOGE’s arrival — several Reddit posts have shared some insights — what we do know is that as of writing, IMLS staff are still with jobs. This could change as soon as this weekend.
We also know that Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling was sworn in as the Acting Director of the agency.
This new leadership came with another press release, posted to the IMLS website. It’s deeply concerning, and it points to what the future of the IMLS will look like under the direction of this administration.
IMLS will be an agency used to produce, promote, and proliferate propaganda."
I won't copy the horrible press release but this hostile takeover goes against everything IMLS stands for and is.
Kelly Jensen adds: "IMLS will not be supporting the range of projects and initiatives it has been since its inception. Instead, it will support projects, ideas, and institutions which align with pre-approved values and beliefs aligned with the oligarchical ruling class. Projects with any of this administration’s forbidden words or ideas will most likely not be permitted.
It also very likely that one of Trump’s earliest campaign promises to combat any education around the ideas of mis- and dis- information will be seen through to their end. A populace that understands how to navigate information is one less susceptible to propaganda.
One reason DOGE and Trump may not have immediately gutted the IMLS as was anticipated is that it is a fantastic tool for the regime as they prepare to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. A January Executive Order lists the IMLS as one of the agencies which will help develop and promote activities to celebrate. Besides the obvious ability to use the IMLS to push out propaganda about the administration and the celebration, this is an opportunity for Trump and his team to rework the narrative about libraries popular in his constituency. Libraries celebrating him and his presidency? They’re good things, actually, great things. What will go unsaid is that libraries have found themselves unable to push back or state otherwise because of the long-prevailing lie that libraries must remain neutral and because of the reality that saying anything contrary could result in annihilation.
New strings which may be attached to current funding models.
One of the tactics that has played out in book banning over the last several years is local libraries demanding more local control over what books their patrons have access to and in order to control the flow of information to a given library’s patrons, interlibrary loan materials on certain topics have been curtailed to users. Many states rely on IMLS funds to run interlibrary loan programs. It would be far from out of the question for there to be strings attached to what kinds of materials can be shared within and beyond state lines. Systems allowing patrons to share books featuring “trans issues” (see here) could be at risk of having funds revoked.
We may also see IMLS funds that help provide digital materials to libraries through tools like Libby requiring those tools to censor certain materials that do not align with the administration’s purported values.
IMLS is going to function in an entirely new way, and it will be libraries and their users — especially the most marginalized, the youngest, the most rural — bearing the brunt of the changes. It is certain more changes to this agency are in the works, including the futures of the 70 full-time staff members who are now subject to the directives of the executive branch of government and DOGE, rather than the taxpayers, whose money they are entrusted to steward in projects that serve them.
It is very likely the changes at IMLS will go underreported and that’s no fault of the agency nor of those trying to cover the dismantling of American democracy. The changes were announced the same day as the dissolution of the Department of Education, an institution with far more money and name recognition. This administration is moving fast and breaking things to keep citizens — and our judicial system — overwhelmed and unable to react.
Turning an agency dedicated to providing funds that help public institutions do work that educates into a machine to “preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country” begs plenty of questions, including who those core values belong to, what those core values are, and who is included among the referenced Americans at all."
https://bookriot.com/imls-propaganda/...
Siuslaw High School (OR) banned the book Flamer following a student complaint.https://www.kezi.com/news/public-comm...
In a 4-3 vote, the Siuslaw School District board banned young adult graphic novel "Flamer" from Siuslaw High School after a student filed a formal complaint over the contents of the book.
During a board meeting on March 12, people had the chance for public comment, in which some spoke against the board considering removing the book.
"By banning any book, we are essentially saying that certain ideas or stories aren't worthy of discussion or consideration," said Kelly Joslin, Future Success and AP Literature teacher at the high school. "This restricts the rights of individuals to read and form their own opinions. The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech. And by banning books or censoring, we send a message that certain voices are not valid," she said.
When the complaint was filed, the school board assembled a committee to review the book. This committee was made up of community members including a pastor, a high school principal, a business owner, and others according to Ned Hickson, an author and retired journalist who was also asked to join the committee.
"I applauded the student for going through the process because it's great. We need to encourage kids to be involved and to voice their concerns," Hickson said. But he acknowledged the situation was complex.
The book is about a teenager in 1995 trying to navigate uncomfortable language thrown around by his peers and suicidal thoughts as he grapples with his sexual orientation. The book was not part of any class curriculum at the school, but it was available in the school library.
Hickson said one of the main complaints was the language used by the young characters.
"We felt that despite the fact that, yeah, there's some uncomfortable language in it, I mean, there's nothing that kids that age don't already say," he said. "There's references to things that I'm sure could make people feel uncomfortable, but I'm sorry. That's the way kids talk."
After review, the committee determined it should remain in the library collection.
However, board chair Brian Lacouture said there was more to that in the book. Lacouture explained why he was part of the 4-3 vote to ban the book.
"It was an incredibly difficult and nuanced and multi multifaceted decision to make," he said. "The discussion. The gist of the discussion was to have a a greater desire to have a higher standard and due to the vulgarity and the profane language in the in the book and the s--ual content."
Siuslaw Public Library District Director Meg Spencer cautioned against removing the book from the high school leading up to the vote, in a letter to school board officials.
"I don't think we want the government making choices for us about what we read, even when they're well-intentioned," she said. "I think that i think the vast majority of Americans believe in themselves and their own ability to make choices."
Hickson said one of the main focus of the book is the lead character contemplating suicide as they grapple with their sexual orientation.
"He never comes out and says that they're gay. It just questions whether he is or not. And ultimately, his faith, ironically, is what keeps him from making the decision to take his own life," Hickson said. "We've had a lot of children take their lives within this school district and local school districts. And if this book could save one child, it's worth it."
"I don't believe it belongs in the collection. I believe we need to have a higher standard for the language and the content that is in the book," Lacouture said at the board meeting, after hearing several people voicing their support for the book.
Board member John Barrett agreed with Lacouture at the meeting.
"Being a father of five and I have one son who is gay and happily married for many years and [I'm] very proud of him and his husband," Barrett said. "Incredible human beings. However, I think it's a total degradation of us as a society that we think we need to have this kind of language in a book to get this message across."
After this discussion and public comment, the school board voted to remove the book from Siuslaw High School.
Regardless, there is concern about the precedent this sets for books in the local school district.
"I'm not saying that it's a book that everyone should read, but there's stuff on Netflix that I don't watch because I don't care for it," Hickson said. "Doesn't mean someone else has the right to tell me I can't watch it."
He added, "I understand that you know some parents don't want their kids reading this book, and that's their right. And someone on my Facebook post said today that you know I'm sure that as the committee, you guys had an emotional reason for choosing the book, which wasn't the case," Hickson said. "But regardless, there's a difference because we're saying, "Let's keep the book on the shelf," which would allow people to make their own decision. What the board did was took that option away from a child."
Spencer also expressed concern about access to books in schools.
"I feel sad that there's one less choice available for members of this community, you know that there is one less resource available for kids who are trying to understand this complex world we live in," she said. "I think that I truly believe everybody in a conversation like this comes to it from the same place, which is protecting our kids. And I think i think that is the thing I'm holding on to, that best intention. But I am sad."
Due to the complexity of the issue, Lacouture said he lost sleep when it came down to making the decision to be part of the 4-3 vote to ban the book.
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Fellow board member Maureen Miltenburger -- who voted to keep the book -- was discouraged after the vote came in, despite the turnout of people who voiced their opposition of the ban.
GASP! The Las Cruces Coalition of Conservatives in Action wants to have 95 books banned in Las Cruces, New Mexico, schools. https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news...
The Coalition of Conservatives in Action compiled a list of 95 books by authors such as Coleen Hoover, John Green, and George R.R. Martin that it deems inappropriate for children in Las Cruces Public Schools.
A child's access to books may be limited by submitting the Parental Request for Restriction of Library Resources form to the school librarian. This does not pertain to curricular and instructional materials assigned to a student; it only pertains to resources the parent lists.
The books on the list include stories about mental health, addiction, coming of age and LGBTQIA topics. Some of the titles include "All Your Perfects" by Colleen Hoover, "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green, the "Game of Thrones" series by George R.R. Martin, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison.
"We were mainly trying to focus it on the content that parents might be most concerned about in terms of determining if it's appropriate for their kids, depending on their age and their maturity level," Sarah Smith, vice chair of the Las Cruces Coalition of Conservatives in Action and member of the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance, said.
Smith compiled the list of books with the help of coalition members by searching LCPS library catalogs for titles on booklooks.org, ... Smith said the coalition selected the worst books on BookLooks, which scored a four or five — what the site considered abhorrent adult content.
A book’s content is age-appropriate for an LCPS library when students have the cognitive skills to understand and process the material, when it relates to the standards they are supposed to be learning and when many of them have likely already seen similar things elsewhere or have related life experiences themselves, Las Cruces High School Librarian Karen Hanson-Sharp said in an email to the Sun-News.
"Restricting access to books is detrimental and undermines the core principles of education, which should promote critical thinking, nuanced understanding of complex issues, and a well-rounded understanding of the world," Hanson-Sharp said. "Removing books from the library will not prevent teenagers from knowing about the themes or language they contain. It just means they’ll get their information from less reliable sources instead."
Hanson-Sharp said that no book is right for everyone, but her goal is to have the right books available for each student’s needs and interests.
"We foster critical thinking and intellectual freedom in our school libraries by developing diverse collections that provide all students with mirrors and windows to the world," Hanson-Sharp said. "Many books, when taken as a whole, teach important lessons and have great messages about tough topics that are completely lost and misrepresented when people take small excerpts out of context."
...
Smith said the coalition members aren't asking for books to be banned but that the school has a duty to ensure that any content it provides for students is age-appropriate. She said that is a common-sense step.
"I think that parents are the experts on their own kids, and parents have the ability to know what their kids are ready for, what maturity they have," Smith said.
Schools are becoming centers that train children to be social advocates, coalition member Beth Bousquet said at the Jan. 21 LCPS board meeting.
"You are vindicating s--al exploration they may not be ready for," Edward Thomas, a Las Cruces resident, said to the board at the meeting.
...
The books in the guide contain "difficult knowledge," which are topics adults have trouble discussing in their own lives, much less with their children, Emily J.M. Knox, board president of the National Coalition Against Censorship and a professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said. The idea that the books on this list are called p----graphy is a very broad and denigrating term, she said.
"The implication is that somehow somebody's own life is p---graphy, as they describe what has happened in their life," Knox said about "All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto" by George M. Johnson — one of the 95 books. "What happens is that you are actually implying that some peoples' lived experiences are actually obscene in some way."
"(P----graphy) is usually for some sort of titillation. These books are generally not like that. They're often books that are extremely clinical when they show effects in any way, and they can be explicit," Knox said. "People sometimes confuse things being explicit with things being p---graphy, and that's not always the same thing."
Knox said many books on the list are about learning about others and their lives, and it's become a conflation that these books are all bad because they have s-x in them.
"The tactic is really about asserting the power over public institutions," Knox said about the book guide.
Knox questioned whose community values guided the selection of the books. She emphasized considering educators' values, as they have expertise in pedagogy and students' real-world experiences.
It's alright not to want your kids to read a particular book on the list, she said. Some, however, such as "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini which follows the story of a boy from Kabul whose life is changed when violence takes over Afghanistan, can have real world connections. The parents' guide notes the s--ual violence that occurs in the book.
Hanson-Sharp said students come to the library seeking stories they can relate to, stories they can escape in, and factual information that can help them deal with serious things they are experiencing, like drugs, s-x, relationships, depression and violence.
...
"I also always remind students that everyone is different and that my job is to help them find the books that are right for them," Hanson-Sharp said. "We have over ten thousand books, and I’m not forcing anyone to read any particular one."
Children, especially teenagers, sometimes go to strangers to get information and look for books when they're uncomfortable speaking to their family members, Cassandra Calway, president of Las Cruces PFLAG (a local LGBTQIA group), said. Some children may not feel comfortable talking about coming out, for example, and valuable information on the experience could come from books, Calway said.
"They need to see they are represented. And when you can't, when you don't have that, it sometimes can make you feel like you're not part of the world, or you're not part of the community," Calway said.
Smith said the list includes books with gay characters who are performing explicit s--ual acts in detail that may not be appropriate, but they are not on the list because they have gay characters. Books were selected because they have detailed s--ual content, she said.
"We need to be more open in our communication with each other," Calaway said, "and get out there and know what's happening in the world and know what's going on. And you know, you always could think that it's not going to affect you until it does."
In 2020, PFLAG Las Cruces hosted a rainbow book project with a drag queen story hour, thanks to a grant from The Envision Fund of the Santa Fe Community Foundation. "The Gay BCs" by M.L. Webb, "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callendar 6-8 grades, "Hurricane Season" by Nicole Melleby and "Fans of the Impossible Life" by Kate Scelsa were read in 12 different Zoom readings, and donated to schools and public libraries.
"Children learn about the world a lot of times through books, and they learn empathy, and they learn that we're not all the same," Calway said.
TexasTyler lawmaker files bill prohibiting minors from checking out sexually explicit library books
https://www.kltv.com/2025/03/13/tyler...
State Rep. Daniel Alders (R-Tyler) has filed a bill that would prohibit people under 18 years old from checking out s--ually-explicit library books unless they are accompanied by an adult. Libraries would need to review their books and remove or relocate them if they are viewed as s---ally explicit. If the law were to pass, libraries that do not comply may lose funding and face up to a $10,000 fine per violation.
HB 3225 contains an exemption for religious texts.
Alders said his goal with the law is to protect kids.
“This is something for community standards and traditional family values,” said Executive Director of Grassroots America - We The People Political Action Committee JoAnn Fleming. Her organization has taken issue with the section where certain books are held at the Tyler Library.
“What adults do is up to them, that is their business, but children should be protected,” Fleming added.
City of Tyler Public Information Office Adriana Rodriguez provided the following statement:
“The City of Tyler is a home-rule municipality that is subject to the Federal Constitution, Texas Constitution, other federal statutes and laws adopted by the Texas Legislature, as well as decisions of both Federal and State Courts. The City has been made aware of legislation currently pending in the Texas Legislature, HB 3225, which would if adopted, regulate access of persons younger than 18 years of age to material in municipal library collections. If passed, the City would comply with all legislation duly adopted by the State Legislature and/or with any applicable court decisions governing such.”
This would effectively ban anyone under 18 from public libraries.
WisconsinThe Platteville School Board agreed with the committee’s decision to move All Boys Aren’t Blue out of the district middle school and into the high school, where middle school students can still request it through interlibrary loan. Five additional books/magazines will remain in the middle school where they already are.
paywalled story
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/...
Arkansas senator continues mission to eliminate State Library Board, cites unfulfilled bargainBoard members resist Sen. Dan Sullivan’s push to disavow American Library Association
https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/03/...
A legislative proposal to dissolve the Arkansas State Library Board “will remain on the table” after the board did not take action that bill sponsor Sen. Dan Sullivan requested, he told the Advocate Friday.
The library board narrowly rejected two motions put forth by member Jason Rapert of Conway, Sullivan’s former Senate colleague, during a special meeting Thursday. Later, the board passed a motion proposed by Lupe Peña de Martinez of Mabelvale, who said she “trusted” that the Jonesboro Republican would respond by withdrawing Senate Bill 184 from consideration.
As first written SB 184 would eliminate both the State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission, which oversees Arkansas PBS, and transfer the boards’ powers and authorities to the Arkansas Department of Education.
Thursday’s library board meeting came a week after Arkansas Educational Television Commission Chairman West Doss said a discussion he had with Sullivan “saved the commission” from dissolution.
Sullivan has since said he is amending SB 184, which passed the Senate Feb. 17, to remove the Arkansas Educational Television Commission. An amendment hadn’t been posted on the Legislature’s bill monitoring website as of Friday evening. A House committee has yet to hear the bill.
Library board member Peña de Martinez also spoke to Sullivan before last week’s meeting. He told her he would “pull” the bill if the board developed “non-binding policies to protect children,” she said Thursday. The board voted 4-3 to pass the motion she introduced to create such policies.
In an interview with the Advocate Friday, Sullivan said he told Peña de Martinez and other board members that his “preference would be to see two things: that the library board have policies that protect children and that it disaffiliate itself from the American Library Association.”
...
...
On Friday, Peña de Martinez ... expressed ... concern... that she is not aware of any “high-caliber” body that could replace the ALA in accrediting higher education programs for librarians in training.
She also said she made Thursday’s motion “in good faith” and was “disappointed” in Sullivan’s response.
“I’m a lifelong educator,” she said. “I want nothing more than to protect children, and I think I’ve been clear on that.”
Rapert made both of the motions that the board rejected Thursday by the same 4-3 vote. One would have eliminated all references to the ALA from the board’s documents; the other would have created an ad hoc committee of board members that would make recommendations to “protect children from s--ually explicit materials” in public libraries.
The second motion would also have sought assistance from the Department of Education and the state attorney general to compile rules for the board to adopt in order to withhold state funds from libraries where “s--ually explicit” content is within children’s reach.
All three of Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ appointees to the library board — Rapert, Shari Bales of Hot Springs and Sydney McKenzie of Rogers— voted against Peña de Martinez’s motion and voted for Rapert’s motions. McKenzie is the newest member and the wife of Rep. Brit McKenzie, R-Rogers.
Pam Meridith of Cherokee Village and Jo Ann Campbell of Fort Smith joined Peña de Martinez and board chairwoman Deborah Knox of Mountain Home in voting for the motion that passed while opposing the two from Rapert.
“I could simply not support Mr. Rapert’s motions yesterday, even though that probably does spell the end of our board,” Knox said in an interview Friday.
Knox also said she was not sure what the State Library Board could do to satisfy Sullivan besides its passage of Peña de Martinez’s motion. Sullivan acknowledged Friday that “non-binding policy” is “all they can do.”
Peña de Martinez’s motion specified that the policies to be developed will honor “the constitutional and legislative principles of intellectual freedom, including First Amendment protections.” It also emphasized that libraries are required to “exercise due care in [the] selection, classification and access for materials.”
Knox said the First Amendment language “was a very important part of the motion” since Rapert’s attempts to regulate where “s--ually explicit” books are located “really interferes with the First Amendment right people have to go to the public library and choose the books of their choice.”
She also said local libraries do “very well” at protecting children from inappropriate content “because I think they know how to classify their books and house them appropriately.”
Meridith made a similar comment Thursday, but Rapert disputed this point and decried Peña de Martinez’s motion as “senseless.”
Campbell mentioned that Rapert’s motion to create a committee focused on governing libraries’ management of explicit materials included the phrase “non-binding guidance.”
“I’m sorry, this is a library board: can’t we read?” Rapert replied. “It is an agenda item. That’s not a motion.”
Knox said Friday she agreed with Peña de Martinez that the motion the board approved should have fulfilled Sullivan’s wishes.
Sullivan, however, told the Advocate the board made a “conscious choice” that was “just the opposite” of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission’s actions.
“When the state says our policy is the safety and protection of children … that’s what the library board should do,” the Jonesboro Republican said. If librarians already do well at protecting children, as one board member put it, “how hard is it to develop guidelines to make sure you’re doing what you say you’re doing?
“My goal is to eliminate the state library board,” he said.
Rapert has repeatedly pushed for defunding libraries where minors can access inappropriate content, and he has said the State Library Board should be abolished for not supporting these efforts.
At February’s regular meeting, Rapert proposed that the State Library remove the ALA from its policies detailing its power to fund public libraries and scholarships for aspiring librarians. The board rejected the proposal.
Rapert and Sullivan have both criticized the statement within the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights that access to libraries should not be restricted based on a person’s age. Far-right conservatives nationwide who object to the public availability of certain content have claimed this is proof that the ALA believes in forcing content about s---al activity and LGBTQ+ topics onto children.
...
Act 242 of 2025 removes the state’s requirement for public library directors in Arkansas to hold a master’s degree “from an accredited American Library Association program,” and allows someone with “work experience in the field of library operations” but without a master’s degree to run a library with approval from its local governing board.
Knox said Friday that “one outspoken president” of ALA does not represent the organization as a whole and she could not “in good conscience” support cutting Arkansas’ ties to a group that helps local libraries.
Peña de Martinez agreed, saying “the last thing we want is to dilute education.”
“We say we’re an education state,” she said, referring to a comment Sanders has made several times, “yet we want to reduce the qualifications for librarians. It’s nonsensical to me that the political leanings of one former head of an organization would be enough for us in Arkansas to completely disregard the accreditation standards.”
...
Late Wednesday night, Sullivan submitted an amendment to House Bill 1127, the bill to give the Arkansas State Library its spending authority for fiscal year 2026.
If the bill becomes law with the amendment included, the State Library would not be allowed to “budget, allocate, or expend any funding to any library” that is affiliated with the ALA, including as a member; refers to the ALA in any of its official documents; or “makes payments or grants of any kind” to the organization.
Sullivan once said the Arkansas Legislature should defund the Arkansas Library Association, which does not receive state funding.
The Joint Budget Committee adopted Sullivan’s amendment to HB 1127 Thursday morning. Rapert informed the Arkansas State Library Board of the amendment at Thursday’s meeting and said it should have motivated the board to detach the State Library from the ALA.
Joint Budget’s Special Language subcommittee will be responsible for approving the amendment before the committee votes on the entirety of HB 1127. The subcommittee’s next meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
After his ALA-related motion failed Thursday, Rapert said the board had “sunk” itself and would “walk the plank.” He also said Arkansas PBS “at least was smart enough in their commission to make some changes.”
Doss, the commission chairman, explained those changes in an interview Friday, saying he hopes Sullivan can be “an asset” to Arkansas PBS. Sullivan’s “hot buttons” include “corporate governance” and services for homeschooled children, and Arkansas PBS will focus on how best to handle both of those things, Doss said.
Sanders appointed Sullivan’s wife, Maria Sullivan, to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission last year. Doss said Maria Sullivan is set to lead an Arkansas PBS task force aimed at better serving homeschoolers.
He said at the commission’s March 6 meeting that the agency would be “a propaganda arm for whoever is in power,” regardless of the dominant political party, if it were no longer governed independently of the Department of Education.
Sullivan told his colleagues the same day that he had drafted an amendment to remove Arkansas PBS from SB 184. As of Friday afternoon, the amendment was not available on the Legislature’s website, and Sullivan has not filed any new legislation pertaining to the State Library.
“We’ve come up with a resolution I think we can work together on,” Sullivan said just before the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 64, Arkansas PBS’ fiscal 2026 spending authority.
SB 64 failed on the House floor Wednesday but can be taken up as many times as needed before the end of the legislative session next month.
Sullivan unsuccessfully tried to reduce Arkansas PBS’ spending authority in the 2022 and 2024 fiscal sessions. He has been a vocal critic of Arkansas PBS, particularly since its regularly scheduled 2022 audit indicated that administrators might have sidestepped state laws related to contract bidding. A specially requested audit that concluded last year led auditors to forward the findings to a prosecuting attorney.
Arkansas PBS CEO Courtney Pledger told lawmakers in September that the agency had learned from its “mistakes and errors.”
Still censorship folks.Alamance County Library (NC) is waiting for final approval before stickering their books for “parental guidance.”
https://www.thetimesnews.com/news/loc...
paywalled story. Thanks to Kelly Jensen of BookRiot for her reporting.
ArizonaHigley Unified Schools are rolling along with a 23 member committee deciding what books can and cannot be used supplementally in classrooms and whether or not they need a permission slip.
https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/hi...
The Higley Unified Governing Board recently received an update on the district’s committees that review supplemental materials and novels.
The committees, consisting a mix of Higley parents, district staff, site administrators and community members, began their work last September.
Both panels were formed in the wake of some parents’ concerns about the content of certain novels assigned to their without their permission.
The 10-member Supplemental Materials Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving any “instructional materials outside of the district’s adopted curriculum,” according to Mary Davis, Higley’s director of professional development.
All supplemental PreK-12 materials come under its purview.
The 23-member novel committee assesses all fiction novels for kids in sixth through 12th grades.
Davis outlined the various state laws on school materials outlined in state statutes 15-721, 15-102 and 15-120 and noted all core content is listed on the HUSD website’s curriculum page.
“You’ll find the links to our Pre-K through grade 12 supplemental list and our grade 6 through grade 12 not approved novel list as well, which will be updated after we make it all the way through the process,” she said.
Both panels receive new materials proposed by teachers for the curriculum throughout the year and the committee members individually complete a rubric about standard and grade appropriateness, instructional value and sensitive content.
Parents can also request a review of materials through the panels.
The supplemental materials panel reviewed six material requests this year. ESGI (K-2), Byrdseed TV and Whoo’s Reading (K-6), and ST Math (K-8) were approved and K-3 Structured Literacy Writing Curriculum and TPT Borenson Math-Hands-on Equations and Fractions (K-6) did not make the cut.
Novels that were approved and needed permission slips included “Parable of the Sower” (Grade 10) and “Punching the Air” (Grade 9).
“Today we’re in our first read, so bringing it to you, the board, to get the information and it also activates our 60-day review for the public,” Davis said.
At the end of the 60-day time period, the list will be back before the board on May 13 for approval or denial.
Board member Scott Glover, a teacher himself, wanted clarification on how a student who has opted for an alternative text could be included in a classroom discussion with other students who haven’t read the same material because their parents refused to sign a permission slip.
Davis said that if the parents opt for the child not to be in the room for the discussion, an alternate lesson is provided.
“I believe sometimes the novels that are read, the discussion is more global … for themes, not specifics, and that might be a case where they would potentially remain in the room,” said Superintendent Sherry Richards.
Board member Anna Van Hoek said that parents have told her their children were expected to leave the room and study by themselves in a different room.
“This law passed in 2022 and the district did not implement this law for two years and parents were given a syllabus with a list of book titles without an explanation of their content for two years,” she read.
Van Hoek also said that not having updated permission slips for parents violated state law.
She also took issue with the committees’ processes.
“It’s my understanding that every book has been approved unanimously without a single dissenting vote, even when explicit and inappropriate content for minors was openly acknowledged,” she said.
Davis explained that all Higley teachers prepare an alternative lesson for the students opting for other materials and are not left to “self-educate.” She also said some alternate texts may be of the same standard, but not of the same academic rigor.
Board President Amanda Wade stated that some books’ content may involve challenges that some community members are facing.
Stating that “as an individual who understands that in high school sometimes or as an adolescent things can be difficult to talk about,” she said school “is a safe space to be able to talk about these things in a way where you can understand that I am not the only one who experiences these things.”
To this, Van Hoek countered that it was not teachers’ responsibility to talk to students about such sensitive topics, but their parents’.
Mod
Honestly, Germany, France, the UK and other countries are a bunch of cowards, as the only way to deal with this ridiculousness is for the the EU, the UK, is for the entire world to approach American tourists, students etc. exactly the same way and with the same extreme prejudice as the USA and its power-trip and obviously stupid border "officials" are doing.
MinnesotaA commentary piece
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ could really teach something to the kids in St. Francis. Too bad it’s banned.
We do have book bans here, actually. What are you going to do about it?
https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/03...
VERY VERY SCARYThis would lead to anything goes book banning
Florida bill would prohibit districts from considering ‘literary value’ of challenged books
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/lo...
Florida leads the nation in book removals, and literary freedom advocates fear new legislation moving through the State Capitol would make it even easier for book challengers to have titles pulled from school library shelves.
Currently, state law surrounding book challenges mirrors the national standard of obscenity, also known as the Miller Test.
Under that standard, school boards can consider a challenged book in its whole when determining whether it is content considered “harmful to minors”.
“For the last five years we’ve actually seen the same special interest groups attempt to dismantle the Miller Test and remove it from the definition of harmful to minors,” said Stephana Ferrell with the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
But the new legislation approved by its first Senate committee Tuesday would prohibit school boards from considering those factors when making a determination on a book challenge.
“If they can do away with being able to judge a work in its entirety for value to the reader they really basically get to take a book down to its parts and pieces and say we’re just not going to allow this content. It doesn’t matter what else can be achieved by reading it. It’s just not allowed in our schools,” said Ferrell.
Bill sponsor State Senator Stan McClain (R-Ocala) argued some districts have abused the value considerations to keep books on shelves that include what he described as p--ographic content.
“The artistic part of it, political speech, all of that has been somewhat used to maybe mask, if you will, the other piece of this,” said McClain.
The bill also includes penalties for districts that fail to comply, allowing the Department of Education to withhold state funding.
The push comes just one year after state lawmakers passed guardrails aimed at cutting down on frivolous book challenges, by limiting people without children in a particular school district to one challenge per month.
It’s one reason Ferrell said she’s hopeful there won’t be an appetite to take a step in the opposite direction this year.
“Because it’s not a priority for 95 percent of parents. Right? Less than five percent of students statewide have parental restrictions on their library access. Less than 100 parents since 2021 have filed objections statewide,” said Ferrell.
The Senate version still has two more committee stops before it would reach the chamber floor.
The House companion bill has not yet been scheduled for its first hearing.
VERY scary and deeply disturbing in Tenn.Rutherford County Library System just banned any books “promoting” transgender issues to minors. THIS IS A PUBLIC LIBRARY. At the same meeting this week, the board banned Me & My Dysphoria Monster.
https://www.dnj.com/story/news/2025/0...
The majority of the voluntary board followed the lead of appointed member Cody York to "remove material that promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes transgenderism or 'gender confusion' in minors."
The Rutherford County Courthouse in downtown Murfreesboro drew over 200 people on both sides of the issue, filling audience seats and lining the meeting room floor and balcony. They applauded, cheered, whistled and shouted — for and against — as speeches were given.
Jessica Robertson of Murfreesboro was among 10 speakers during public comment to address the issue. She voiced her agreement with audience members holding signs that said, "Leave it on the shelf."
"As the mother of a transgender child, the attempted erasure of my child in a public setting such as the library by members of this board is deplorable," Robertson told the board.
"I am outraged by the audacity in the belief that this action item is acceptable in any way."
Six out of 10 speakers opposed removing the books from the shelves. Many opposing book banning wore purple Rutherford County Library Alliance T-shirts
Many in the audience applauded and cheered for the comments and decisions of York and the majority of the board.
Fellow library board members who agreed with York in removing the books are Marzee Woodward, Dina Piazza, Susan Quesenberry and Sam Huddleston, who's an assistant city manager for Murfreesboro.
Three board members opposed the decision: Kory Wells, vice chairman Rollie Holden and Benjamin Groce, a Smyrna attorney who mentioned concerns about the book removal decisions being unconstitutional.
Chairman Phil King abstains from voting unless there's a tie.
Prior to the vote to remove books about "transgenderism," the same five majority of board members also voted to remove the picture book, "Me & My Dysphoria Monster" from the library system. The book is by author Laura Kate Dale and Illustrated by Ang Hui Qing.
Wells and Groce opposed the removal of the book. Holden abstained.
Public comment speaker Robertson also questioned the board's use of "transgenderism" in banning books.
"The word 'transgenderism' is considered derogatory, but you may already know that and that's why you chose to use it," Robertson told the board.
"Now I am going to define the word bigotry as found on the Oxford Languages website: 'Obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction, in particular prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group."
The decision by the board also offended Chris Sanders, who was not present at the meeting but learned about what happened. Sanders is executive director of two advocacy groups promoting equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, Tennessee Equality Project and Tennessee Equality Project Foundation that supports the annual BoroPride festival.
"We used to talk about an informed democracy," Sanders said. "Last night's actions by the Library Board indicate some people in positions of authority are abandoning that idea by removing books about a whole group of people. The public deserves accurate information, particularly about trans people right now because of the concerted efforts to vilify them."
Texas = terrifyingMansfield Independent School District trustees approve library books every month. Now, the policy might go statewide
https://fortworthreport.org/2025/03/1...
The proposed law, Senate Bill 13, is making its way through the Texas Legislature and would mandate that all library books and materials receive school board approval before appearing on shelves. It would also give parents the power to challenge any library book and have it removed until the school board decides whether the contested material is allowed.
The bill also bans books with “indecent content or profane content” and requires districts to have local advisory councils of residents who recommend which books be acquired or removed from libraries.
Mansfield ISD has been adding similar rules to its local policy since 2023, rolling out content guidelines, an expanded book-challenge process and increased school board involvement in library decisions.
Since fall 2023, trustees have approved lists of new library books at monthly board meetings — a practice not employed by most school districts, which commonly rely on district librarians to vet and approve books.
Board President Keziah Valdes Farrar said she supports the state bill because essentially the district is already following its requirements.
“Right now, we do have the final say-so on the books that are coming in; we’re approving those every month,” Valdes Farrar told attendees at a public meet-and-greet forum March 6.
The forum was hosted by Valdes Farrar and two other Mansfield incumbents running for reelection in the May 3 election.
Before books end up on school board agendas for approval, the district’s coordinator of library services looks through the material to ensure it aligns with Mansfield ISD’s rubric, Valdes Farrar said.
The rubric guides officials in how to grade the prevalence of sensitive book themes like profanity, s--ual activities and drug or alcohol use. Trustees adopted the guidelines in 2023. Before then, librarians evaluated books using state guidelines and recommendations from national librarian organizations.
How does Mansfield ISD evaluate books?
The school board and district officials created their own rubric to limit the amount of intimacy, s--ual explicitness, violence, bullying and nudity in books available in MISD libraries. Guidelines vary by grade level.
For example, a book in which “brief descriptions of nons--ual nudity” is “common” is allowed in high school libraries, but only allowed in middle school if there is “some,” but it is not a main theme. Books with nons--ual nudity content at any level are banned from elementary schools.
Trustees have not pulled any books from the library purchase list in the two years they’ve voted to approve items.
“I think it’s great that nothing has had to be pulled,” Valdes Farrar said. “That means that the teachers know what can be purchased, and the librarian knows what can be run through the rubric, and so I feel like that policy is doing its job.”
The rubric aligns with the mission of a 2023 state law aiming to keep sexually explicit content off of bookshelves. In 2024, a federal appeals court blocked Texas from enforcing parts of the law that made book vendors assign ratings to books based on sexual content, saying it was unconstitutionally broad.
Mansfield ISD’s policy also closely aligns with a portion of SB 13 that gives parents the power to challenge and remove potentially offensive library books.
The district has a book-challenge process that allows community members to formally push for the removal of library materials. If a book is challenged, a committee of parents, teachers and students review it and determine whether it’s appropriate.
Two books have been formally challenged since June 2022.
Both of these challenges were brought by Valdes Farrar and sought to remove the books “The Bluest Eye” and “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which explore race and LGBTQ+ issues. The challenges failed, and the books remained on library shelves.
No books have been challenged since the district employed the rubric and trustee review policies.
The Texas Senate Education Committee backed the bill in a 10-1 vote March 4, sending the proposal to the full Senate for review.
MinnesotaMinnesota has an anti-book ban law, applicable to schools yet people are ignoring it.
Opponents, supporters speak at Stillwater school board meeting on book restrictions
https://www.yahoo.com/news/stillwater...
A majority of speakers at a school board meeting on Tuesday night were there advocating against restricting access to certain books — but not everyone.
Access to LGBTQ material in school libraries has been fiercely debated across the country in recent years.
Now, the Stillwater district is working to change policies the board chair called “outdated.”
Emotions at the Stillwater school board meeting centered on two LGBTQ books — “Grandad’s Pride” and “Call Me Max.”
Earlier this month, the district restricted access to them for elementary students, allowing them to be checked out only with parents’ permission.
An opponent of that move spoke out at the board meeting on Tuesday night, saying, “When you can’t see yourself in books, it’s isolating. It’s shameful. You hide your authentic self.”
Meanwhile, a supporter of the restrictions voiced their support, saying, “And, yet in an instance where parents want to take responsibility for their children, we have staff outraged. Ask yourselves, are you here to educate, or are you here for your own personal crusade.”
Kelly Jensen reports:"Some board members in Williamson County Schools (TN) are angry about some passages in a textbook used for AP Psychology courses. Why? Because they talk about gender and sexuality as real things. One member of the board says it simply doesn’t reflect their community values, which are apparently bigotry and ignorance. The board deferred the vote on this text, but they vetoed several of the top rated science books recommended and went with the poorest rated one."
https://www.williamsonherald.com/news...
After lengthy discussions, the board swapped the top science textbook recommended by teachers and committee members for grades K-8 with the least recommended option and deferred a vote on the AP Psychology textbook.
Textbook adoption processes are time-consuming and thorough. WCS began preparatory discussions in 2023 — before the state vetted a wide range of publishers to create a list of state-approved texts for districts to choose from. WCS then formed a committee of teachers and parents that created a criteria checklist and evaluated texts. In January and February, WCS held sessions for the public to review materials and ask questions.
Board members were presented with a list of recommended textbooks for each grade and course alongside the percentage of committee members and teachers that recommended each book.
On Monday, board member Claire Reeves said she had concerns about the level of technological integration options available in the recommended texts for grade K-8. The committee had recommended Savvas’ “TN Elevated Science” textbook for K-5 and McGraw Hill’s “TN Science” for grades 6-8, but Reeves made an amendment to approve Accelerate Learning’s “STEMscopes Science” textbook instead.
“We’ve had several public commenters tonight emphasize the high priority on hands-on science,” Reeves said. “I think that while all the curriculum options offer digital resources for teachers to use, there was one clear standout to me and that was STEMscopes Science and the ability to really minimize the use [of digital features]. Yes, teachers can still use the digital features, but really it allows for prioritizing the hands-on piece.”
However, Dave Allen, assistant superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, said Accelerate Learning’s text was the least recommended option and he would rather see the board defer a vote to get more information.
...
Jennifer Sower, the director of Teaching and Learning who led the review process, said textbook publishers have shifted to offer more digital resources in recent years, but that doesn’t force teachers to be reliant on that technology.
...
Teachers in K-2 recommended the Savvas science textbook by a plurality of 42%, while the committee favored Savvas by 51%. In grades 3-5, Savvas won an easy 82% majority among teachers and 80% of committee members. For middle school, teachers were split 49% to 51% between McGraw Hill and Savvas, respectively, but the committee broke the tie with 57% in favor of McGraw Hill.
Despite these overwhelming numbers, Reeves’ amendment to approve “STEMscopes” instead passed with eight board members voting in favor. Members Melissa Wyatt and Eric Welch voted no, and Margie Johnson abstained from the vote.
“I support the original science textbook recommendations because I support the work that has been done by our teachers, parents and staff,” Wyatt said. “Additionally, I trust our teachers on how science is taught in the classrooms.”
Moving on from the amendment for K-8, board member Dennis Driggers raised concerns about the recommended AP Psychology course textbook, BFW’s “Meyers’ Psychology for the AP Course”
“I’ve got 40 to 50 emails in the last week and they all name one book: Meyers’ AP Psychology,” Driggers said. He amended the resolution to remove the AP Psych recommendation from the list to allow the board more time to review that specific book before coming to a decision. This amendment passed with seven board members in favor, Wyatt, Welch and Jay Galbreath voting against it and Johnson abstaining.
Board member Donna Clements attempted to substitute the “Meyers’” book, which was recommended by 100% of teachers and committee members, with Syngage’s option that she had personally evaluated, but her motion failed with only Clements and Tony Bostic voting in favor.
Finally, the board faced the full vote to approve the amended list of textbooks. Superintendent Jason Golden said he could not recommend approval of the list as amended
“The textbooks are not the curriculum alone; they are a piece of the curriculum. Our science teachers are the ones who are held accountable for growing our students,” Golden said. “I do recommend based on our teachers’ track records that we honor their request.”
Welch, who opposed all of the proposed amendments, said he could not vote to “flip-flop” some of the top recommended texts for the least recommended texts.
“I just want to say for the record that this is a vote to replace what our teachers recommended to us, their top recommendation, with a series of text that was their bottom recommendation, in some cases zero teachers recommended this,” Welch said. “I would really encourage some of you to go and talk to your principals about the impact you’re having on teacher morale and staff morale when you insert your own opinion over theirs.”
The final resolution, which replaced the recommended texts for K-8 with “STEMscopes Science” and removed the AP Psychology text from the list, was approved 9-2. Wyatt and Welch were the only board members to vote against the amended resolution.
ONLY a handful of Democrats are speaking up about the book purges happening in Department of Defense Education Activity schools.Brought to you by the Huff Post, which may not be the most reliably accurate source at the best of times but it seems to be at the worst of times.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...
More than two dozen House Democrats on Monday demanded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth immediately reverse course on what they say is an unconstitutional purge of books and learning materials in dozens of K-12 schools run by the military ― an effort aimed at erasing diversity and LGBTQ+ people.
“We write to express our grave concern about the escalating censorship taking place in schools run by the Department of Defense,” reads a letter signed by 26 members of Congress and led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is a constitutional scholar and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
“We are alarmed by reports that children at DoD schools were prevented from accessing any library books and many learning materials for a week while officials conducted a ‘review’ to identify any books that are related to the mysterious bodies of thought you call ‘discriminatory equity ideology’ or ‘gender ideology,’” they said. “After this week-long review, the nation’s military schools began purging library books and restricting access to books and learning materials that are reportedly undergoing ‘further review.’”
“You are plainly violating the constitutional rights of DoD families,” they added.
In their letter, House Democrats highlight other books that were reportedly purged from DoDEA schools, including a picture book about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a single chapter on sexuality and gender used in Advanced Placement psychology, a reading of “A Nation of Immigrants” in a social studies lesson for fourth graders, and a story about a girl who doesn’t like her freckles but eventually learns to love them, titled “Freckleface Strawberry,” by actor Julianne Moore.
“These Orwellian book purges seriously restrict the spectrum of knowledge and literature available to military families,” they wrote to Hegseth.
In the case of one active-duty military officer, Trump’s anti-DEI policies in DoDEA schools ― along with his ban on transgender troops ― are a source of constant stress and fear for people around him. This officer, who requested anonymity to protect his job and his family, said he has served in combat with LGBTQ+ people who have become close friends, currently serves with LGBTQ+ people and has LGBTQ+ children.
Trump’s attacks on LGBTQ+ kids and transgender service members “hits home in so many ways,” said the officer, who serves overseas. “It’s dehumanizing.”
He said his spouse is a teacher at a DoDEA school and was told teachers will be fired for even talking about Trump’s anti-DEI policies.
“If they engage with the media, they will be fired,” said the officer. “If they protest, they will be fired; if they encourage students to protest, they will be fired; if they use social media to protest changes and can be identified as a DoDEA employee, they will be fired; if they speak out at a town hall (even as a parent of a DoDEA child), they will be fired.”
DoDEA spokesperson Will Griffin reiterated that the agency’s dozens of schools are currently reviewing their policies and instructional materials, including library books, to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders. He said most of the curricular materials flagged for further review are “supplemental resources.”
“During this period, DoDEA is limiting access to materials under review to professional staff, pending completion of the review,” he said in a statement. “DoDEA has not permanently removed any materials from our school libraries.”
Without specifically addressing the concerns raised by the overseas DOD employee, Griffin said teachers at Defense Department-run schools are subject to the same federal and DOD policies as anyone else on a military installation, including the same restrictions on the things they can say while speaking in an official capacity.
“We encourage all parents of DoDEA students, regardless of their employer, to engage and participate in constructive discussions about their child’s educational experience in a variety of forums,” he said, adding, “Students are at the heart of everything we do in DoDEA and we will continue to maintain a learning environment where all students feel safe and supported.”
After this story published, a DoDEA employee reached out to dispute the DoDEA spokesperson’s claim that nothing has been permanently removed from libraries.
“The books are still off the shelves and now have been for up to six weeks with no end in sight,” said this employee, who requested anonymity to protect their job. “Some books may soon be allowed to go back on the shelves but librarians are waiting to hear what will happen to the ones deemed ‘out of compliance.’ We have to assume they will be removed and destroyed but no one knows yet.”
This DoDEA employee said they were forced to take down a Black History Month display and “safe space” stickers, which signal a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ students. Staff were also initially told to take down a poster that just had the word “inclusive” on it, but later were told they could put it back up.
...
“We have received discrimination reports from some DoDEA schools indicating an influx of bathroom bans, deadnaming, and the disbanding of after-school clubs,” said Branaman. “We are tracking these developments to determine how we can best support the well-being of LGBTQ+ children of military parents if their schools are not safe or welcoming.”
The overseas military officer said while his spouse is worried about job safety, their biggest concern is for LGBTQ+ students who now feel scared and isolated. Teachers at this school were initially directed to remove anything from classrooms that could be seen as related to DEI, including community bulletin boards. Later, they were quietly told they could keep those up.
These anti-DEI policies have already taken a toll on the kids, though.
“Collectively, [the LGBTQ+ students] all stopped talking and interacting except when absolutely necessary,” said the officer.
Idaho can enforce a law that prevents independent schools from distributing books the state deems ‘harmful to minors,’ after a federal judge denied their bid to preliminarily block the statute.https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/...
Horrible! Connecticut ... founded by Puritans, apparently still Puritans in this town.https://www.courant.com/2025/03/20/ne...
Paywalled by Kelly Jensen reports:
"Suffield’s Kent Memorial Library is considering a new policy that would only allow books about “gender ideology” into the YA section for young readers…and only if “balanced” with books that refute the idea there are more than two genders."
LouisianaI'm not ready to defund the library': St. Tammany voters debate library tax proposition.
The parish library system is seeking a property tax that would generate around $13.5 million for operations
https://www.nola.com/news/northshore/...
The day the director of the St. Tammany Parish Library System was scheduled to speak at a Slidell area civic association meeting, the association's president said he started getting phone calls.
Library Director Kelly LaRocca had planned to discuss a property tax that provides 96% of the annual funding for St. Tammany’s nearly 75-year-old library system. The tax is up for a vote in the March 29 election and library staff have spoken at well over a dozen community events in anticipation.
Robert Broome, president of the Military Road Alliance, an association of homeowners associations around Slidell, didn't expect the meeting to be much different than many others over the years.
But then a caller asked why the meeting wasn’t offering an opposing view of the library tax, something Broome said the group doesn't usually do unless it's a political forum. Then someone from the St. Tammany Parish public school system called to make sure the meeting wasn't partisan, since it was being held at Boyet Junior High School.
"I was so surprised," Broome said. “I’ve never had somebody call and complain before."
The parish’s library system has been at the center of controversy in recent years over its collection and who can view it as debate continues to flare over minors' access to library materials that contain sexual themes and LGBTQ+ subject matter. At the same time, the numbers show it provides a popular parish service: more than a million items were checked out in 2024, including 420,497 virtual items like e-books and audiobooks, and over 600,000 people visited a library, officials say.
The 4.35-mill tax the library seeks would bring in around $13.5 million annually. The library system had been operating under a 5.78-mill tax that expired in 2024. Last year, the library collected 5.35 mills after rolling back due to reassessment. They say the proposed tax's revenue is about $3 million less than what the 5.35 mill tax brought in.
For the owner of a $300,000 home, the tax would cost about $98 a year, the library's millage data shows.
A number of parish organizations and governing bodies have avoided weighing in on the tax proposition...
Speaking in his personal capacity, RPEC member Josh Allison said in an interview he plans to vote against the library tax because he believes libraries have to figure out how to better serve community needs and adapt to technology and "should not be places for children to be socialized, particularly socialized in a way that is antithetical to the norms of that community."
"That’s not the end of society if there is no longer a library,” he said. “There was a time when books were very rare and you couldn’t just pay somebody a few dollars and have a book delivered to your front porch. That time doesn’t exist anymore.”
Allison's view isn't universally shared among members of RPEC’s 19 members, nor elected Republicans in the parish. For instance, St. Tammany Parish Council member Pat Burke, also an RPEC member, said although he has gotten backlash from some other Republicans, he supports the tax.
“My daughter just graduated from Southeastern (Louisiana University) and she grew up in that library,” Burke said. “I’m not ready to defund the library,” he said, adding that his support of library funding does not mean he supports s---ually explicit books in the children's section.
Northshore District Attorney Collin Sims, who has taken a lead in pushing the sales tax rededication, said his office was not planning to officially endorse the library tax, but he expressed concern about its possible failure. “I would hate to see St. Tammany Parish be the only parish in Louisiana that doesn’t have a library system.”
The St. Tammany Democratic Executive Committee has endorsed the library tax, as has the League of Women’s Voters. The St. Tammany Economic Development Corp. has adopted resolutions supporting the rededication and the library tax.
The voter turnout is expected to be small, according to Sam Caruso Jr., who has worked on other tax campaigns and is working with the library. He said in a text message that he expected less than 10% of voters to turn out.
If the library tax passes, the library will use money it has set aside to make capital improvements, including building a new branch in Lacombe, which currently has a 1,600-square-foot building that was originally built as a temporary structure.
“It’s an old, outdated, tiny facility,” said St. Tammany Parish Council member Joe Impastato, who represents Lacombe. “This will bring us an updated facility — something that we can be proud of.”
But if the tax fails, the library will have to instead use its approximately $6 million in cash reserves and $6 million in capital funds to cover operating expenses in 2026. Without an additional source of funding, branches would likely begin to close after that.
“The alternative of not having a library is not even something I want to consider,” Library Board member Chuck Branton said at the Military Road Alliance meeting, urging the approximately 20 people there to support the millage.
Another board member, Dinah Thanars, noted the importance of the library for lower-income families. "It's a home away from home," Thanars said.
Since the controversy about its collection began, the library has moved books that contain s--ually explicit material, as defined by Louisiana state law, into the adult section, and adopted a tiered library card system that allows parents to choose what sections of the library their kids can check out materials from.
Connie Phillips, who once lodged over 150 challenges of books in the library and became a founder of the St. Tammany Library Accountability Project, said in a text message, “This ongoing issue has only been met with last-minute reforms, seemingly in response to the pending millage vote. While we acknowledge these efforts, it is ultimately the voters who must decide whether the system is still worth their investment.”
Kristen Luchsinger, a co-founder of the St. Tammany Library Alliance, said the group is not formally taking a position on the tax because its focus is on questions of diversity and First Amendment issues.
Another voter, Kevin Marino, said he plans to vote against the tax because he believes the Parish Council and Library Board have not made any concessions to First Amendment advocates. “I’m not going to support a censored library," Marino said.
In the end, the Military Road Alliance meeting went smoothly and showed no indication of the phone calls Broome had received beforehand. After a presentation that featured LaRocca and Branton, the group unanimously voted to back both the sales tax rededication and the library millage.
GeorgiaLibrary guidelines and library chair topic of discussion at commission meeting
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners
According to Kelly Jensen's attempt to read this article,
https://theaugustapress.com/library-g...
"The Columbia County Board of Commissioners (GA) spent time being mad about library books this week (note it’s the county board and not the library board). Same two panels from Gender Queer are paraded out to make some kind of point, as always. The story is paywalled."
Kelly Jensen looks more critically at a new study showing that book bans increase their circulation being pushed as some kind of positive piece. She notes "First, it’s the top banned books that see increased circulation in the same way it’s the top banned books that sell more copies once banned. It’s not something to cheer about — it’s still overlooking 95% of banned books that see no additional circulation. Second, these bans increase donations to Republicans at a higher rate than the increase in circulation because Republicans then use book banning as an issue to campaign and fundraise on."
https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/pd...
Author Khaled Hosseini on his book being banned in a MN high school https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/03...
Mod
Brought to you by the Huff Post, which may not be the most reliably..."
I guess they are probably afraid of getting themselves and their families targeted and arrested (which I understand). But I will certainly not be quiet regarding badmouthing Donald Trump and his cabal, his threats against Canada and Europe notwithstanding.
Manybooks wrote: "I guess they are probably afraid of getting themselves and their families targeted and arrested (which I understand).."Nah. They have to be aware of them when they run for office! Chuck Schumer is on the outs with the progressive Dems and the rest are just indifferent. I was disappointed not to see any familiar names on that letter. I know some people run as Democrats when they're not because they know they'll be elected just because of the party in their district.
YOU are a private citizen of another country and can say what you like but don't expect to be allowed in the U.S.A. any time soon if they catch you.
Mod
Nah. They have to be aware of them when they run for offic..."
Do not have any desire to go anyhow! Ever since I was asked by some moronic border guard in the 1990s (when I was in my 20s, and I was born in 1966) if I had been a member of the Nazi party during the Third Reich and that I needed to provide documentation, sorry, no desire to visit the USA and have that happen again.
Mod
Nah. They have to be aware of them when they run for offic..."
Well, I am still a private citizen of a sovereign country but Donald Trump obviously wants to change that, sigh.
Manybooks wrote: "Do not have any desire to go anyhow! Ever since I was asked by some moronic border guard in the 1990s (when I was in my 20s, and I was born in 1966) if I had been a member of the Nazi party during the Third Reich and that I needed to provide documentation, sorry, no desire to visit the USA and have that happen again."Too bad you couldn't ask him if he had documentation that he was never in the Ku Klux Klan.
Manybooks, may I recommend Ultra, a multi-part podcast about how prevalent Nazi sympathizers were in the United States, including in the highest offices? The congressman for FDR's own Congressional District (it's riding in Canada, right?) was a Nazi collaborator. FDR hated him, even without known he was a secret Nazi. Maddow later turned it into the book Prequel: An American fight against fascism, but the podcast, with so many voices, is even better. Plus it's free.
Mod
Exactly, I had to really hold my tongue, as I felt like asking him if he thought I was a vampire (for if I had indeed been in the Nazi party during the 1930s, in the 1990s I would have been quite elderly).
Mod
Thanks, but that probably would creep me out. But then again, Stalinism and Nazism are not all that different with regard to politics either (and which is of course also why Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are such buddies).
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)
More...
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)
More...
With backing from Turning Point USA, John Amanchukwu has created a ruckus in at least 18 states.
Trigger warning: Hateful language in the article.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/...
In a January 24 press release from the Department of Education, the Trump administration declared that book-banning was a “hoax.”
But last month, President Donald Trump invited John Amanchukwu, the self-proclaimed “book-banning pastor,” to the White House for a Black History Month event. Since 2023, Amanchukwu, a youth pastor from North Carolina, has travelled to at least 23 school board meetings in 18 states on a nationwide book-banning tour financed by Trump donors and allies, including Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
On this tour, Amanchukwu demands that school districts remove books that do not align with his conservative Christian ideology—usually books written by or about LGBTQ people. Amanchukwu relies heavily on insults and threats during his school board speeches, maximizing each appearance’s potential for social media virality.
...
Amanchukwu has also written two books, which he promotes frequently in podcast appearances. He released a film in October 2024 about his school board tour, which can be purchased for $9.99. The film, produced in partnership with TPUSA Faith, features other prominent right-wing figures, including billionaire and self-proclaimed historian David Barton.
When Amanchukwu announced his school board tour, he said he would travel to the “wokest and bluest and darkest cities in America.” Instead, his tour has largely stopped in purple or red districts, including Boise, Idaho; Washoe County, Nevada; Gwinnett County, Georgia; and Midland, Texas. On at least two occasions when he visited school boards that only allow public comments from people residing in their district, Amanchukwu has claimed to be the roommate of a local activist.
Amanchukwu’s school board speeches follow a routine format. He identifies a few books he feels do not belong in school libraries. These books often feature LGBTQ characters and range from picture books to more mature young-adult novels. Amanchukwu reads a passage from one of the more mature books and admonishes school board members for allowing such “perverse” material in their libraries. Amanchukwu frequently breaks meeting rules, which has resulted in him being escorted out of meetings by police on several occasions—and provides eye-catching content for his social media accounts.
At a meeting of Florida’s Indian River County School Board in August 2023, Amanchukwu was escorted from the meeting by police because he continued reading from 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher after the board asked him to stop. Amanchukwu and TPUSA have used footage of Amanchukwu being removed from this meeting to promote his school board tour and foster a narrative that Amanchukwu is being persecuted for his beliefs.
At a school board meeting in New Jersey, Amanchukwu, who is Black, was asked to leave after using the n-word, but refused to leave the speaker’s podium for several minutes. He shouted to the school board that he would not leave because it was his “Rosa Parks moment.”
...
In Mesa, Arizona, Amanchukwu called school board members “racist bigots” for celebrating Black History Month when less than 5 percent of the student body is Black and for having a library book about a trans Black boy. Amanchukwu specifically called out the board’s only Black member, saying she should be “voted off first.”
On podcasts, Amachukwu’s language is even more inflammatory and insulting—often directed at women and trans people.