Book Bans Etc.!

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A Missouri school district could ban ‘Maus,’ citing concerns about whether it is ‘explicit sexual material’

(JTA) – A Missouri school board is preparing to vote next week on whether to ban Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust graphic memoir “Maus” — even though no parent in the district has challenged it.

https://www.jta.org/2023/06/14/united-states/a-missouri-school-district-could-ban-maus-citing-concerns-about-whether-it-is-explicit-sexual-material?

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 Some interesting facts about the new book about Anne Frank!

A new version of the famous Holocaust diary is being called ‘Anne Frank pornography’ and getting banned from schools

(JTA) – Among the many books that conservative parents have recently asked their children’s schools to remove is a lushly illustrated version of the most famous Holocaust diary.

https://www.jta.org/2023/06/12/culture/a-new-version-of-the-holocausts-most-famous-diary-is-being-called-anne-frank-pornography-and-getting-banned-from-schools?

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Utah school board reverses Bible ban and calls out lawmakers who attacked the district

Members of the Davis School District’s school board voted to return the religious text to library shelves for students of all ages after controversy over the decision.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2023/06/20/utah-school-district-votes-return/?

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Missouri school board votes not to ban ‘Maus’ from district bookshelves following criticism

(JTA) — A Missouri school board has decided not to ban “Maus,” the graphic memoir about the Holocaust, after considering doing so because of a new law barring the distribution of “explicit sexual material” in schools.

https://www.jta.org/2023/06/21/united-states/missouri-school-board-votes-not-to-ban-maus-from-district-bookshelves-following-criticism?

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Unbelievable! Georgia teacher fired for reading children's book

Georgia’s new school censorship laws have claimed their first known victim. Cobb County elementary school teacher Katie Rinderle was fired for reading her class a book she bought at a school book fair, because the book’s message of accepting and embracing differences offended some parents.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/24/2177164/-Unbelievable-Georgia-teacher-fired-for-reading-children-s-book?

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HISD to eliminate librarians, turn some libraries into discipline centers at 28 campuses

HOUSTON – Houston Independent School District will be eliminating librarian positions at 28 schools this upcoming year and utilizing some of the libraries as ‘Team Centers” where kids with behavioral issues will be sent, the district announced.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/07/26/hisd-to-eliminate-librarians-turn-libraries-into-discipline-centers-at-28-campuses/?

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How book-banning campaigns have changed the lives and education of librarians

Despite misconceptions and stereotypes – ranging from what librarians Gretchen Keer and Andrew Carlos have described as the “middle-aged, bun-wearing, comfortably shod, shushing librarian” to the “sexy librarian … and the hipster or tattooed librarian” – library professionals are more than book jockeys, and they do more than read at story time.

https://arkansasadvocate.com/2023/07/24/how-book-banning-campaigns-have-changed-the-lives-and-education-of-librarians/?

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An Arkansas judge has blocked a law targeting librarians over 'harmful' books

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing "harmful" materials to minors, a federal judge ruled Saturday.

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/30/1190966505/an-arkansas-judge-has-blocked-a-law-targetting-librarians-over-harmful-books?

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South Carolina school district to return Bernard Malamud’s ‘The Fixer’ to shelves after yearlong removal

(JTA) – A school district in South Carolina will return Bernard Malamud’s “The Fixer,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about antisemitism, to shelves nearly a year after it was removed following a parental complaint.

https://www.jta.org/2023/08/03/united-states/south-carolina-school-district-to-return-bernard-malamuds-the-fixer-to-shelves-after-yearlong-removal?

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Hillsborough schools cut back on Shakespeare, citing new Florida rules

The decision is aimed at better performance on state tests and avoiding sexual content found in some of the Bard’s work.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/08/07/hillsborough-schools-cut-back-shakespeare-citing-new-florida-rules/?

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Florida Quakers Rally to Preserve Black History Books Amid Library Controversy

Disclaimer: The following information is updated for 2023. It is for educational and informational purposes.

https://www.newsbreak.com/@micky-joss-1590036/3119463091616-florida-quakers-rally-to-preserve-black-history-books-amid-library-controversy

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School district uses ChatGPT to help remove library books

Faced with new legislation, Iowa's Mason City Community School District asked ChatGPT if certain books 'contain a description or depiction of a sex act.'

https://www.popsci.com/technology/iowa-chatgpt-book-ban/?

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AI Isn’t Banning Books in Iowa Schools. Republicans Are.

Overstating the power of algorithmic systems only serves to benefit the tech companies behind them.

https://theintercept.com/2023/08/16/ai-iowa-schools-book-ban/?

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Book bans continue to hit record highs for schools and public libraries Book bans and attempted bans continue to hit record highs, according to the American Library Association, and the efforts are now extending as much to public libraries as school-based libraries. Read more.

Why this matters: Through the first eight months of 2023, the ALA tracked 695 challenges to library materials and services, compared to 681 during the same period last year. School libraries had long been the predominant target, but in 2023 reports have been near-equally divided between schools and public libraries.   In 2019, the association recorded just 377 challenges, involving 566 titles. The numbers fell in 2020, when many libraries were closed, but have since risen to record highs in the association’s 20-plus year history of compiling data. The most sweeping challenges often originate with such conservative organizations as Moms for Liberty, which has organized banning efforts nationwide.   Attacks against teachers, librarians and the library association have been ongoing in 2023. The ALA’s opposition to bans has led some communities to withdraw membership, including a county in Wyoming and a library in Texas. Missouri officials announced the state would be leaving the ALA at a time when recent laws limited access for young people to books considered inappropriate for their age.

Related coverage ➤ Conservative book ban push fuels library exodus from national association that stands up for books Georgia school district is banning books, citing sexual content, after firing a teacher Books banned in other states fuel Vermont lieutenant governor’s reading tour

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Florida leads the U.S. by far in school book bans, new report says

Book bans in public schools increased across the country last school year, with Florida leading the nation and responsible for  more than 40% of them, according to a new report released Thursday

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/09/21/florida-leads-the-u-s-in-school-book-bans-new-report-says/?

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The most dangerous idea in a library? Empathy

My 9-year-old daughter recently asked me if reading really makes you smarter.

https://alabamareflector.com/2023/09/25/the-most-dangerous-idea-in-a-library-empathy/?

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First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans

More than 40% of book bans occurred in Florida, with 1,406 book bans in the state

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/05/first-amendment-advocates-fight-growing-number-of-u-s-book-bans/?

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Alabama library mistakenly adds children’s book to “explicit” list because of author’s name

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama public library mistakenly added a children’s picture book to a list of potentially inappropriate titles because the author’s last name is “Gay,” the library’s director said.

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-childrens-book-banned-f5179e7fb9c523b84e901453e07cfb5d?

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Book Bans in Texas Spread as New State Law Takes Effect

As a new Texas law further restricting what books students can check out of school libraries takes effect, local bans are gaining steam in districts across the state — in some cases going in startling directions.

https://www.propublica.org/article/book-bans-texas-libraries?

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U.S. House Republicans target ‘explicit’ books in school libraries

More book bans have occurred in FL, the home state of the panel’s chair, GOP Rep. Aaron Bean, than any other state

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/20/u-s-house-republicans-target-explicit-books-in-school-libraries/?

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Tolstoy, Sendak picture book among hundreds banned from Florida schools

Hundreds of books, including a classic by Leo Tolstoy and a storybook by beloved children’s author Maurice Sendak, have been pulled from Florida school libraries this fall as administrators continue to scrutinize collections for works they fear violate new state laws.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/17/florida-school-book-bans/?

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Florida congressman proposes federal funding to help schools fight book bans

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost unveiled legislation Tuesday to combat a nationwide surge in book bans.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/12/06/florida-congressman-proposes-federal-funding-to-help-schools-fight-book-bans/?

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In Florida, you’ll read what the GOP wants you to read, and nothing else

FL Attorney General Ashley Moody asserts state control over school library books

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/12/18/in-florida-youll-read-what-the-gop-wants-you-to-read-and-nothing-else/?

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Read it yourself: All 673 books removed from Orange classrooms

Here is a list of the 673 books removed from teachers’ classroom shelves in Orange County for fear they might violate state law and rules on “sexual conduct:” Some might be returned to shelves after further review.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/12/20/read-it-yourself-all-673-books-removed-from-orange-classrooms/?

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In 2024, more censorship and bans: FL, TX removing large batches of books in public schools

Earlier this month, a Texas school district in San Antonio removed more than 400 books “for review” to identify school library books considered inappropriate, in part because of potential sexual content.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/12/21/in-2024-more-censorship-and-bans-fl-tx-removing-large-batches-of-books-in-public-schools/?