13 Books Banned from All Utah Schools | Censorship News

13 Books Now Banned from All Public Schools in Utah | Salt Lake Tribune
Titles include Forever by Judy Blume and six books by Sarah J. Maas.

Idaho’s New Library Law Faces Lawsuit Over Constitutional Concerns | Idaho News 6
A new lawsuit is challenging Idaho’s House Bill 710, a law that restricts children’s access to library materials. The plaintiffs, including private schools and library patrons, argue that the law is overly broad and infringes on First Amendment rights. The coalition seeks a temporary injunction to prevent the law from being enforced before the upcoming school year.

Authors, Educators, and Others Criticize Book Bans and ‘Dark Night of Censorship’ in Letter to DeSantis | Hastings Tribune
More than 500 people, including educators, parents, and best-selling author Jodi Picoult, signed a letter to Florida governor Ron DeSantis criticizing state laws that led to a “dark night of censorship” in the state. The letter calls on DeSantis to “take concrete steps” to reverse some of the most prominent Republican-led education policies in recent history, including the laws often called the “Stop WOKE Act” and the “don’t say gay” bill.

The Story Behind the Local Children’s Book That Was Banned—Or Was It? | SeattleMet
A local influencer went viral saying his children’s book was banned. Some people aren’t so sure.

Missouri Libraries Adjusting to Rule on Censoring Children’s Media One Year After Implementation | KY3
The rule requires libraries to separate books and media for children from other materials clearly and gives parents more control over the library content.  Missouri River Regional Library had to expire all the library cards belonging to minors and have their parents fill out forms designating how much permission their children have to the media in the library.

‘Not a Badge of Honor’: How Book Bans Affect Indigenous Literature | NPR
NPR speaks with Indigenous scholar Debbie Reese.

A South Carolina District Decided Not to Ban Most of its Challenged Books. Can the State Overrule It? | Yahoo! News
Beaufort County (SC) Public Schools pulled nearly 100 books from libraries in October 2022, setting into motion a laborious review process that returned all but five titles to shelves.  A new statewide policy could undo that. The policy creates a framework allowing local book challengers to appeal district-level decisions to the state. The state would then have the final say on the books, and the decision would be implemented in public school districts across South Carolina.

Students Join Educators and Advocates in Effort to Reverse Book Bans Across the Country | The 19th
Legal and research experts say community resistance and the power to protect literary freedom still rests in the hands of parents, kids, and educators.

More States Are Passing Book Banning Rules. Here’s What They Say. | New York Times
Discussion about what books children should access has diminished on the national stage. But most rules pertaining to schools and libraries are made at the state and local level.

While Book Ban Attempts Increase Nationally, One Oregon Library Has Kept Requests Low | Oregon Live
The Corvallis-Benton County (OR) Public Library has addressed concerns while keeping its collection more complete by using three key strategies: conversations with patrons, compromises, and specific policies.