Student Perspective: Chloe Bauer on the Burbank Book Ban
NCAC asked Chloe Bauer and Sungjoo Yoon, former students in the Burbank Unified School District, to tell us why they felt the District was wrong to remove five classic books from classrooms.
Student Perspective: Sungjoo Yoon on the Burbank Book Ban
Former students in the Burbank Unified School District explain why they felt the District was wrong to remove five classic books.
California School District Considers Ban on Classic Books | UPDATED
Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, Theodore Taylor's The Cay, and Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, challenged in Burbank Unified School District.
NCAC Publishes New Resource for Educators with National Council of Teachers of English
New resource guides teachers and school administrators navigating book challenges.
The Free Expression Educators Handbook
The Free Expression Educators Handbook contains practical tools and advice for managing book challenges and censorship controversies in schools and school libraries. The handbook, created by NCAC in collaboration with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is intended for teachers, librarians, and school administrators. It offers guidance for educators developing inclusive and viewpoint-neutral instructional material policies, including sample [...]
North Carolina Lawsuit Challenges The Poet X Over Religious Viewpoint
North Carolina lawsuit demands that public schools protect one religious viewpoint above others by banning Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X.
FUN HOME Removed from Nevada High School
Lauded graphic novel Fun Home was removed from high school classrooms by a principal in Nevada, violating district policy and threatening students' right to read.
Alaska Community Unites in Opposition to Book Ban
When a school board in Alaska voted in April to remove five classic books from a high school reading list, it had no idea that it would outrage many in the community as well as several alumni of the school who are now rock stars. Although the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough School Board reversed its decision a month later, the controversy [...]
Five Classic Books Banned from Alaska School District | UPDATED
NCAC urges Mat-Su school board to reverse decision to remove five classic texts from high school curriculum.
Banned Books Week 2020 Launches: Censorship is a Dead End
Banned Books Week 2020 declares Censorship is a Dead End: Find Your Freedom to Read. The annual celebration of banned books will be held from September 23-October 3, 2020.
National Groups Condemn Attacks on LGBTQ Stories
Books featuring LGBTQ characters and themes are under attack in schools and libraries across the United States, violating free speech principles.
Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2019
The American Library Association released its annual list of the top 10 most challenged books of the past year. 80% of titles tell LGBTQ stories.
Unconstitutional Efforts to Ban Drag Queen Story Hour
Attempts to ban Drag Queen Story Hour events and other LGBTQ-related content from public libraries are proliferating across the country.
Failure of Democracy: California School District Bans Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye
Democracy was missing in action in Colton, California, when the Board of the Colton Unified School District voted to remove Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye from the District’s reading list.
Massachusetts School Retains Puberty Book After Challenge
A Massachusetts middle school has decided to retain Sex is a Funny Word, an award-winning book about puberty, after its removal from the library was demanded by a small number of parents.
NCAC Opposes Copycat Missouri Bill Threatening Tennessee Libraries
NCAC supports the American Library Association to oppose library censorship legislation proposed by Tennessee lawmakers nearly identical to a bill proposed last month in Missouri.
UPDATE: VICTORY! NCAC Urges District to Retain DRAMA in Wyoming School Library
Wyoming school district considering a book challenge filed by a parent who argued against books about LGBTQ characters being available to students.
NCAC Statement on Missouri Library Bill
The National Coalition Against Censorship and the other national groups signed below call upon the Missouri legislature to reject Missouri House Bill 2044, a recently introduced library censorship bill. The bill poses urgent dangers to the constitutional rights of Missouri’s citizens, including librarians, parents, and children. It is also redundant in light of existing Missouri law that already makes it [...]
Proposed Library Legislation in Missouri Threatens Freedom to Read
NCAC opposes proposed legislation threatening Missouri libraries' independence and citizens' freedom to read.
UPDATE: LGBTQ Books Under Threat in Loudoun County, Virginia, School Libraries
NCAC is calling on Loudoun County Public Schools to avoid viewpoint discrimination and uphold kids' right to access LGBTQ books.
Arizona Legislature Considers Sex Ed Restrictions: UPDATED
Arizona considers banning sex ed before seventh grade.
Arizona Legislators Challenge It’s Perfectly Normal
Lawmakers challenging introduction of comprehensive sex ed are calling for ban on popular sexual health guide in schools and libraries.
LGBTQ Children’s Book Removed from Library Shelves in West Virginia
NCAC urges Upshur County library officials to uphold their own policies and the First Amendment by returning Prince & Knight to the children's section of their library.
Author Aida Salazar on Censoring Gender Fluidity in Schools
Author Aida Salazar shares her own experience with school visits for her new book, The Moon Within, and the struggles she faces with teachers.
NCAC Opposes Removal of Dear Martin from Georgia School Curriculum
Columbia County Superintendent removed three novels from the proposed high school curriculum despite teachers' recommendations.
Remembering Toni Morrison
Joan Bertin (former executive director, NCAC), Toni Morrison, Fran Lebowitz “The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages flourishing underground, essayists’ questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, canceled films—that thought is a nightmare. As [...]
Texas Library Cancels Event with Trans Author
City officials in Leander, Texas abruptly cancelled an appearance by renowned graphic novelist Lilah Sturges at the Leander Public Library just hours before her scheduled visit.
Idaho High School Bans The Walking Dead from Campus
A school in Idaho has banned the popular graphic novel series The Walking Dead and removed all copies of the graphic novel series from their library, despite a review committee recommending the book remain on shelves.
PRIDE: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag Challenged in Virginia School
Controversy arose in Hanover County, Virginia, after a parent complained about PRIDE: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag being read aloud in a second-grade classroom.
Considerations and Guidelines for School Officials
School officials have broad discretion to establish curricula and decide what materials to include in their classrooms and libraries. However, parents, special interest groups and others sometimes attempt to impose their personal beliefs on the public school system and demand the removal of educational materials. Listed below are some general considerations school administrators should take into account when such challenges [...]
New Jersey High Schools Restrict Access to Fun Home | UPDATE
Administrators at two high schools in New Jersey have restricted student access to the acclaimed graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.
LGBTQ Stories Top Banned Books List
ALA's Most Challenged Books list for 2018 is dominated by LGBTQ stories and characters, reflecting a growing trend.
Proposed Florida Bills Threaten Students’ Rights
Proposed Florida legislation threatens to weaken academic freedom, chill the work of educators, interfere with students' rights to access information, and cost school districts time and money.
Popular Manga Title Pulled from New York School
Markham Intermediate School in Staten Island, NY pulled Assassination Classroom, a best-selling manga comic by Yusei Matui, from library shelves after a parent complained about the book’s title and fictional superhero themes.
Kansas Library Defending LGBTQ Stories from Challengers | UPDATE: VICTORY!
A library in Kansas is considering a second challenge to three widely-lauded LGBTQ books for youth.
Maine Bill Aims to Weaken Protection Against School Censorship | UPDATE: VICTORY!
Maine lawmaker's attempts to label educational material obscene threatens intellectual freedom.
Attempt to Ban “Obscene” Material in Maine Schools
Maine lawmaker's attempts to label educational material obscene threatens intellectual freedom.
North Carolina District Bans ‘Beartown’
The novel by Fredrik Backman has been banned district-wide after parents complained about vulgarity and graphic scenes.
NJ School District Restricts Library Circulation
Mahwah Township elementary schools have instituted a new policy that limits students' ability to check out books to once every two to three weeks.
NCAC Joins Coalition Urging Utah Schools to Restore Library Access to Information Database
The Utah Education Network voted to deny access to EBSCO, a longtime, well-respected distributor of educational content that is used nationally in libraries and schools.