Schools

St. Johns County School District in Florida improperly removes library books without following procedure

By |2024-03-07T13:03:29-05:00March 7th, 2024|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board of St. Johns County School District in  St. Augustine, Florida to express our concern that the district is not following their policy when conducting reviews of books with sexual content. Read NCAC's full letter to the St. Johns County School District here: Click here for a full-screen view: [...]

Rockingham County Public Schools in Virginia temporarily removes 57 books from school libraries without following policy procedures.

By |2024-01-23T10:34:00-05:00January 23rd, 2024|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written a letter to the Rockingham County School Board to protest their decision to temporarily remove 57 books from school libraries without following district’s policy for challenges and review. NCAC urges the Board to return the books to library shelves pending a formal review from a review committee. Read NCAC's full letter to [...]

NCAC recommends policy improvements for a Wisconsin School District that received over 400 book challenges

By |2024-01-05T14:30:35-05:00January 5th, 2024|Letters, News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Elkhorn Area School District in Wisconsin to recommend policy improvements after a local parent challenged 444 library books, which were temporarily removed. As a result, the district has considered policy revisions. To assist, we shared NCAC's guidelines and best-practices on book challenges with them. Read NCAC's full letter to the [...]

Iowa School District removes over 70 books without following proper review procedures

By |2024-01-02T12:03:29-05:00January 2nd, 2024|Letters, News|

The Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District in Grimes, Iowa has removed 73 books from school libraries in an attempt to comply with Iowa Senate File 496, which prohibits school libraries from having any materials with "descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act." The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board to urge them to improve their [...]

NCAC objects to the removal of 75 books from school libraries in Hanover County, Virginia

By |2023-12-12T12:11:36-05:00December 12th, 2023|News|

In November, the district administration of Hanover County Public Schools in Virginia improperly ordered 75 books be removed from school libraries.  The National Coalition Against Censorship has written a letter to the school board to urge them to rescind the order and to evaluate any challenged books using the proper criteria.  Read NCAC's full letter to the Hanover County Public [...]

NCAC recommends policy changes to North Syracuse Central School District in New York

By |2023-12-01T12:40:22-05:00December 1st, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the North Syracuse Central School District in New York to encourage them to amend their policies. The suggested revisions will allow access to challenged materials to remain unrestricted during the review process.  Read NCAC's full letter to the North Syracuse Central School District here: Click here for a full-screen view: [...]

NCAC protests the removal of 33 books from high school library in Wisconsin

By |2023-11-30T14:05:42-05:00November 30th, 2023|News|

According to media reports, the superintendent of Wisconsin's Menomonee Falls Schools has removed 33 books from school libraries without following the district's challenge procedures.  The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board to urge them to conduct all book challenges in accordance with board policy, which requires that challenges be adjudicated by a committee of diverse [...]

NCAC protests improper removal of over 100 books in Kentucky school district

By |2023-11-08T14:44:47-05:00November 8th, 2023|News|

Boyle County Schools in Kentucky has improperly removed over 100 books because they claim they are required to do so under Kentucky law SB 150. The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to inform them that the law does not apply to library books and to demand that the books be returned. Read NCAC's full letter to the Boyle [...]

Middle East Conflict Fallout: A culture of fear and anger takes over US cultural institutions

By |2024-02-05T15:05:45-05:00November 8th, 2023|News|

Intimidation, doxing, blacklists, cancellations. In the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza, a wave of extreme intolerance towards speech critical of Israel and supportive of Palestine has swept across cultural and educational institutions. In the United States and Europe, students and professors are being penalized, writers canceled, and artists censored for expressing [...]

A Massachusetts high school student was forced to remove clothing that expressed support for Palestine

By |2023-11-01T15:44:56-04:00November 1st, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the principal of Framingham High School after receiving reports that the school forced a student to remove a shirt that expressed support for Palestine. We understand that in some schools, the student's shirts may indeed create a risk for substantial disruption, however, we urge the school to ensure that they have taken [...]

NCAC encourages Barbers Hill ISD in Texas to reform its hair length rules to respect student free expression

By |2023-11-01T14:41:54-04:00November 1st, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to Barbers Hill ISD expressing concerns about the district's lack of respect for student free expression after a student was disciplined for violating the district hair length regulations.  NCAC urged them to change their policy to allow for more student free expression. Read NCAC's full letter to the Barbers Hill Independent School District [...]

The superintendent of Cobb County School District in Georgia has removed two books in violation of policy

By |2023-11-01T14:36:55-04:00October 31st, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board of Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia to recommend improvements to their current policies after two books were inappropriately removed from school libraries.  Our letter outlines several violations of their procedures and shares several recommendations for improving the policy. Read NCAC's full letter to the Cobb County [...]

NCAC recommends revisions to Sunapee, New Hampshire school district policy

By |2023-10-17T16:08:19-04:00October 17th, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Sunapee School District Board to recommend revisions to a proposed book challenge policy. NCAC encourages the district to remove a provision that suspends access to challenged materials during the review process in order to prevent frivolous challenges. Read NCAC's full letter to the Sunapee School District here: Click here for [...]

NCAC urges Somerset Public Schools to repeal a new school rule which violates students’ free speech rights

By |2023-09-12T13:59:48-04:00September 12th, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school committee of Somerset Public Schools concerning a new school rule, which violates students' free speech rights. The rule states that "any discussion of weapons (guns/knives/etc.) or making shooting gestures are not acceptable in school; this applies to real or toy weapons."  This rule goes far beyond the permissible limits [...]

NCAC opposes effort to restrict AP African American Studies in Arkansas

By |2023-08-21T14:00:02-04:00August 21st, 2023|News|

NEW YORK - The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is an alliance of national nonprofit groups dedicated to protecting freedom of expression, including the rights of K-12 students, teachers, and staff. NCAC released the following statement to oppose the Arkansas Department of Education's restrictions on Advanced Placement African American Studies. On Saturday, August 12, the Arkansas Department of Education [...]

NCAC recommends book review policy changes to the Craven County Board of Education in North Carolina

By |2023-08-16T16:59:58-04:00August 16th, 2023|News|

Following news reports of 11 books being challenged in school libraries in the Craven County School District in North Carolina, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has written to the school board to recommend changes in their procedures for addressing objections to books and other material. The district’s policy provides few safeguards against the danger that books might be [...]

Hernando County, Florida school board removes “Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?”

By |2023-07-25T19:33:29-04:00July 25th, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship recently wrote a letter to the School Board of Hernando County School District in Brooksville, Florida, regarding their choice to remove Louis Sachar's "Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?" from elementary school libraries. This decision was made despite a review committee's recommendation to keep the book. The board's action appears to be based on [...]

NCAC responds to proposed Materials Review Policy updates in Sparta Township Schools, New Jersey

By |2023-07-06T12:49:19-04:00July 6th, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has contacted the Sparta Township Board of Education in New Jersey regarding proposed updates to the Sparta Township Library Resource Materials Policy and Regulation. The NCAC has expressed concern about the policy's complete prohibition of books with "lewd or vulgar content," which NCAC fears may prevent older students from accessing educational materials. To [...]

NCAC commends New Jersey school district for upholding student rights and suggests improvements in its book reconsideration policy

By |2023-06-09T13:01:30-04:00June 9th, 2023|Letters, News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship wrote to the Roxbury Public Schools Board of Education in Succasunna, New Jersey, to commend its rejection of a motion to remove nine challenged books before they could be reviewed by a reconsideration committee. Additionally, NCAC recommended two changes to board policy that would increase public transparency in future book challenges. Read NCAC's full [...]

Challenged graphic novels in Newtown, Connecticut public schools face restriction or removal | Updated

By |2023-06-06T17:21:49-04:00June 1st, 2023|News|

Update 6/6/2023 – The School Board of Newtown has unanimously voted to retain the books, and will “implement a process to support choices of individual parents and guardians to make individual choices for their children.” 6/1/2023 – The National Coalition Against Censorship has contacted the Newtown Public School District in Connecticut. NCAC highlighted concerns that arose from challenges to [...]

Analysis: Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith

By |2023-06-01T16:08:08-04:00May 31st, 2023|News|

NCAC has obtained permission to share the following op-ed from artnet news, which was originally published on May 25, 2023. ARTNET NEWS OP-ED  Why the Supreme Court’s Decision in the Andy Warhol Copyright Case Shows the Dangers of a Sympathy Vote The former director of the ACLU’s Arts Censorship Project on the implications of 'Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith.' By [...]

NCAC urges reinstatement of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn marker in Concord, New Hampshire | UPDATED

By |2023-08-31T17:33:57-04:00May 22nd, 2023|Letters, News|

UPDATE 8/31/23: A lawsuit has been filed against the State of New Hampshire over the removal of the Elizabeth Gurley Flynn historical marker. The lawsuit alleges that state officials violated the state’s Administrative Procedures Act, its historic markers program, and the plaintiffs’ rights to due process by interfering with their rights to petition for the approval and erection of [...]

Hanover County (VA) School District receives advice from NCAC on book challenge policy | Updated

By |2023-06-21T11:54:09-04:00May 19th, 2023|Letters, News|

Updated 6/21/2023 – The Hanover County School Board has adopted some of the changes recommended by NCAC including that books will not always be removed pending adjudication if a complainant alleges that they are "pervasively vulgar." However, the policy remains problematic as the district has removed nineteen books from school libraries. 5/18/2023 –The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) recently [...]

Sarasota County Schools improperly removes Choke from school libraries

By |2023-05-12T16:22:32-04:00May 12th, 2023|Letters, News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the school board of Sarasota County Schools in Florida to protest a district administrator's removal of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke from high school libraries. This violates a board policy that bars administrators from removing books until the committee has reviewed them.Read NCAC's full letter to Sarasota County Schools here:Click here for a full-screen view: [...]

NCAC welcomes three new board members

By |2023-05-12T09:38:24-04:00May 12th, 2023|News, Press Releases|

NEW YORK - The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) continues to build influence in the fields of entertainment, law, and publishing by adding to its board Amy Berkower, president of Writers House LLC, Jonathan Bloom, former Counsel at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, and stand-up comedian Judy Gold. The addition of new leadership comes at a [...]

School administration in Galesburg, MI, removes Gender Queer from libraries, violating review policy

By |2023-05-10T10:13:09-04:00May 10th, 2023|Letters, News|

According to news reports, Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools, in Galesburg, Michigan, has removed Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer from school libraries during the adjudication of the book challenge. The National Coalition Against Censorship objects to the violation of district policy, which states that material, "may not be withdrawn from use pending the committee's recommendation to the Superintendent." Read NCAC's full letter [...]

Middleborough, MA, student forbidden to wear shirt expressing political views

By |2023-05-09T00:51:13-04:00May 5th, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has written a letter to the Superintendent of Middleborough Public Schools in Middleborough,  Massachusetts, in response to a report that school officials in your district forbid a student from wearing a shirt that said: "there are only two genders." As the Supreme Court ruled in its landmark decision in Tinker v. Des Moines [...]

NCAC joins 132 national organizations to encourage Congress to oppose EARN IT Act

By |2023-05-05T10:26:05-04:00May 4th, 2023|News|

May 4, 2023: The EARN IT Act passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously. Senate leadership must now decide whether to move the bill to the Senate floor. Several Senators, including Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jon Ossoff (GA), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Peter Welch (D-VT), expressed concerns about the bill during the markup. Senator Padilla entered [...]

FIRE, NCAC letter encourages City of Bristol, Tennessee, to change Social Media Comments Policy

By |2023-05-05T10:24:36-04:00May 3rd, 2023|Letters, News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) delivered a joint letter to the City of Bristol, Tennessee, encouraging officials to modify its Social Media Comments Policy to comply with its legal obligations under the First Amendment. Read our full joint letter to the City of Bristol here: Click here for a full-screen [...]

Nebraska’s Plattsmouth Community Schools improperly removes books under review

By |2023-05-05T10:22:54-04:00May 3rd, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC)  has written to the Board of Education in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, to protest the board's decision to remove several books from the schools' libraries while a review is being adjudicated.  Removals violate board policy which permits the books to stay on shelves during the review process.  Read NCAC's full letter to the Plattsmouth Community [...]

Claudia Johnson shares thoughts on the right to read

By |2023-04-21T19:39:18-04:00April 21st, 2023|Blog, Censorship News Issues, News|

Claudia Johnson is a nationally recognized advocate for free speech and social justice, winner of the inaugural PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award, for her “extraordinary efforts to restore banned literary classics to Florida classrooms”—and author of Stifled Laughter: One Woman's Story About Fighting Censorship, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize when it was first published in 1994. Fulcrum Publishing has just released a new edition [...]

Florida school district allows removal of graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s Diary by school principal

By |2023-04-21T18:41:33-04:00April 21st, 2023|Letters, News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has contacted the school board of Indian River County School District in Vero Beach, Florida, protesting the removal of Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation from a high school library.  As we understand it, the principal removed the graphic novel because it depicts Anne Frank walking in a garden that contains classical Greek and Roman [...]

New London, Minnesota, student forbidden from wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” T-shirt

By |2023-04-21T08:56:53-04:00April 21st, 2023|Letters, News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Superintendent of New London-Spicer School District in New London, Minnesota, because we understand that a middle school student has been forbidden from wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” T-shirt because it refers to a vulgar expression of opposition to President Biden.  Although the Supreme Court has stated that schools can prohibit [...]

San Diego County Regional Airport Authority removes video installation from airport exhibition

By |2023-04-28T16:34:52-04:00April 20th, 2023|News|

Artwork credit: Evan Apodaca, Monumental Interventions, 2023 (Video still). The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has contacted the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority to express concerns over the removal of artwork by artist Evan Apodaca from an exhibition at San Diego Regional Airport. Apodaca's video installation titled Monumental Interventions explores San Diego's monuments and the role of the [...]

National film contest seeks submissions on how youth deal with conflicting ideas

By |2023-04-25T14:49:44-04:00April 18th, 2023|News, Press Releases, Videos|

NEW YORK – As proven by the recent uptick in book banning, people often want to silence ideas that they feel are harmful or offensive. Daily, youth are confronted with views they disagree with, from school censorship to online hate speech. How are youth and young adults coping with conflicting viewpoints? The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) wants [...]

NCAC protests decision to remove eight books from the school library in a Maine school district

By |2023-04-20T14:09:51-04:00April 17th, 2023|News|

The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Board of Directors at Maine School Administrative District #6 in Buxton, Maine, to protest the decision to suspend its policy for reviewing book challenges to remove eight books from the school library before reviewing a complaint.  Removed titles include Choke by Chuck Palahniuk, Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera, [...]

NCAC writes to school board in Iowa City about the temporary removal of Juno Dawson’s This Book is Gay | Updated

By |2023-11-28T10:40:08-05:00April 7th, 2023|In The News, Letters, News|

Updated 11/28/23 - At the request of the school’s reconsideration committee, This Book is Gay was returned to school libraries. 4/7/23 - The National Coalition Against Censorship wrote to the Iowa City Community School District in Iowa concerning the District’s recent temporary removal of Juno Dawson's This Book is Gay pending review of a challenge to the book. This [...]

NCAC protests Sioux City Community Schools’ removal of This Book is Gay from libraries | Updated

By |2023-04-12T13:06:12-04:00April 6th, 2023|Letters, News|

Updated 4/12/2023 – The District Board President has responded to our letter. His email stated:  Primarily, the book presented safety issues as it describes how to access unsuitable websites and other “hookup” processes. It is completely inappropriate for our students.   As a result of the safety issues, we determined that the inappropriate book would be pulled.  The book [...]

NCAC offers school admin Guidelines for Developing Policies on The Display of Student Art

By |2023-04-03T16:42:57-04:00April 3rd, 2023|News, Resources|

As challenges to school library books and instructional materials are on the rise across the country, artistic censorship in schools has received less attention. However, school districts everywhere are struggling with increased political scrutiny on curricular and extracurricular artistic expression. School administrators are increasingly feeling pressured to censor or alter visual art with potential "controversial" or "problematic" subject matter. [...]

West Texas A&M University president bans student drag performances

By |2023-04-12T10:54:01-04:00April 3rd, 2023|News|

National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has delivered a letter to the Board of Regents at Texas A&M University System to express its concern regarding  West Texas A&M President Walter Wendler's decisions to cancel A Fool’s Drag Race and place a ban on all future campus drag performances. According to Wendler, all drag shows are an assault on human dignity [...]

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