New Jersey School District Omits Librarians from Review of Several LGBTQ+ Library Books | UPDATED
A New Jersey school district did not include any librarians in its review of several challenged award-winning LGBTQ-themed library books.
Toni Morrison Book Among Those Removed from Virginia Beach School Libraries
Virginia Beach City Public Schools removed several books, including such award-winning books as A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, The Bluest Eye by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, from school libraries.
Hudson, Ohio, School District Preemptively Removes Lawn Boy From School Libraries
Hudson, Ohio, school officials improperly removed Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison from school library shelves before a review of the book was complete.
NCAC Urges Texas School District to Keep Jerry Craft Books in Libraries
Katy Independent School District in Texas removed two books by Jerry Craft from school libraries because of a parent complaint about "promoting Critical Race Theory", possibly violating the First Amendment
Parents Call for Censorship of It’s Perfectly Normal at Cass County, Missouri, Public Library
NCAC urges Missouri's Cass County Public Library to resist calls to censor It's Perfectly Normal, a book about puberty.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Out of Darkness from Lake Travis, Texas, School Libraries
NCAC has written to officials in Lake Travis Independent School District in Austin, Texas, after reports emerged that a historical novel has been removed from libraries before an official was completed, in violation of district policy.
NCAC Urges Central York, Pennsylvania, School District to Improve Policy After Diverse Book Ban Controversy
Students in York, Pennsylvania, successfully challenged a district-wide ban on diverse resource materials.
NCAC Responds to Troubling Censorship of College-Level Writing Class in Ohio High School
NCAC has written to the mayor and joined with FIRE and PEN America in a letter to the superintendent of Hudson City Schools after controversy erupted in Hudson, Ohio, over the appearance (but not use) of writing prompts that allude to sexual experience in an optional, college-level writing course, the school seized the books from students and the mayor threatened to prosecute the school board.
NCAC Applauds North Carolina Governor’s Veto of Bill Aimed at Censoring Teaching on Racism
The National Coalition Against Censorship applauds North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s recent veto of House Bill 324, which would have regulated the teaching of certain concepts commonly (and often mistakenly) associated with Critical Race Theory.
The First Amendment in Schools
How does the First Amendment protect the rights of students and teachers? This guide provides background on the legal and practical questions surrounding school censorship controversies.
North Carolina School District Appears to Ban Book One of a Kind, Like Me for Acknowledging Gender Identity Issues
NCAC is concerned by the treatment of Laurin Mayeno's One of a Kind, Like Me in a North Carolina school district based on the perception that the book addresses gender identity issues.
NCAC Asks New Jersey School District to Clarify Overly Broad Material Vetting Policy
The National Coalition Against Censorship is concerned about a new policy at Montclair Public Schools that threatens to chill teachers' ability to select instructional material that deals with race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Ghost Boys from Broward County School in Florida
NCAC objects to the decision to remove the novel Ghost Boys from a school in Broward County, Florida.
Acclaimed Challenged Author Jason Reynolds Will Headline 2021 Banned Books Week
Jason Reynolds to headline Banned Books Week 2021, which has the theme, “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” Two of Reynolds' books for young people made the Top 10 banned and challenged books of 2020 for their handling of issues around racism and racial justice.
Legislation and Book Bans Target Teaching About Social Justice and Racism in Schools
Seven states are considering legislation to ban the teaching of "divisive concepts," which encompasses certain teaching about social justice and structural inequality.
Anti-LGBTQ Book Legislation Proceeds in Multiple States
Across the country, state lawmakers are considering legislation that aims to ban teaching books with LGBTQ themes and punish teachers for exposing students to material that addresses sexuality and gender expression.
Texas School District Bans Call Me Max, Picture Book About Trans Child
An Austin, Texas, school district banned teachers from reading Call Me Max, a picture book about a trans child, to students after parents complained.
Texas School District Removes LGBTQ Books From Reading Lists
Leander, Texas, school district has removed LGBTQ books from optional reading lists in middle and high school classes.
Statement on Removal of Dr. Seuss Books from Publication
The National Coalition Against Censorship is disturbed by the decision of Dr. Seuss Enterprises to cease publication of six children’s books by Dr. Seuss because of their implicit racism.
Arizona School Considers Removing Slaughterhouse Five From Classrooms
A school district in Vail, Arizona, is considering removing Slaughterhouse Five from classroom teaching after a parent complained about references to sex.
Louisiana Library Removes LGBTQ Children’s Books From Shelves
A Louisiana library removed LGBTQ books from the children's section after receiving several complaints.
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.