NCAC’s Book Censorship Action Kit
If you are embroiled in a censorship controversy, this is the resource for you. NCAC's action kit offers practical advise for understanding, addressing and fighting censorship incidents.
NCAC Praises CA School for Rejecting Calls to Restrict Classroom Reading
The board met on Monday night to review their literature policy in light of the controversy but voted unanimously to keep it unchanged.
Chicagoans Unite to Defend LGBT-themed Book Against Religious Group’s Campaign
NCAC is praising the grassroots efforts of Chicagoans who have set an example for the rest of the country.
What You Need to Know About the Arizona Mexican-American Studies Trial; UPDATE: Judge Rules Ban Unconstitutional
The trial will decide whether the cancellation of the Mexican-American studies curriculum in 2010 in Tucson Arizona was done with discriminatory intent.
San Diego School District Rejects Challenges to Sex Ed. & Anti-Bullying Initiatives
In the face of discord and subjective morality-based arguments, the board stood up for the rights of all of its students to learn in a safe and respectful environment.
NCAC Urges Wisconsin Superintendent to Retain Award-Winning Novel in Curriculum; UPDATE: Victory! Board Finally Votes to Retain Book
The groups emphasize that the mere presence of explicit language and violence in a book provides no justification for its removal.
NCAC’s Executive Director Honored for Free Speech Advocacy by the Freedom to Read Foundation
The award will be presented at the 2017 American Library Association Annual Conference during its Opening General Session on Friday, June 24, in Chicago.
NCAC Criticizes Elementary School’s Ban on Personal Copies of 13 Reasons Why
The groups underline that the First Amendment protects a student’s right to receive and possess literature, as long as the books in question do not cause disruption to the educational process.
Elementary School Bans Students from Possessing 13 Reasons Why on School Grounds
NCAC is in the process of writing to the elementary school underlining that students have a First Amendment right to receive and possess literature, provided the books in question do not cause disruption to school activities.
NCAC Demands Ohio High School Restore Eleanor & Park to English Curriculum
The groups’ letter underlines that the hasty removal of the book, after a single complaint, sets a harmful precedent that could leave an entire curriculum in tatters.
NCAC Joins HarperCollins for #WhyIRead Campaign, Celebrating Company’s 200th Anniversary
As an organization committed to defending authors’ free expression and the right to read, NCAC was selected by HarperCollins employees to receive a donation as part of its #WhyIRead campaign, which pledges to donate $200,000 to charities supporting causes that are important to HarperCollins.
NCAC + Lambda Legal Request Tennessee School Apologize for Removing pro-LGBT Student Artwork
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and Lambda Legal are calling on a Tennessee high school to apologize for removing a displayed student artwork featuring the word “GAYDOM” and a rainbow motif. The groups demand the drawing be immediately restored, arguing that the school’s justification for the removal-- that some students were offended by the artwork-- violates the student artist’s First Amendment rights.
NCAC Demands Idaho Middle School Retain Popular Manga Novel in Library; UPDATE: Committee Votes to Keep Book
The notion that the mere presence of inappropriate language and allegedly suggestive images is justification for a book’s removal sets a harmful precedent that, for example, a classic work of literature that contains adult language, or an art history textbook that includes a nude, should also be kept away from teens.
NCAC Protests AZ School District’s Unjustifiable Removal of ‘The Kite Runner’ from English Curriculum
The letter argues that choosing to remove a book citing "community standards" sets a dangerous precedent for future book challenges.
NCAC Criticizes Politically Motivated Removal of ‘Jacob’s New Dress’ From North Carolina Lesson Plan
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 6 other organizations committed to defending the right to read are urging a North Carolina school district to reinstate a children’s book in a 1st grade anti-bullying lesson plan after it was removed following pressure from local Republican lawmakers concerned about its gender-nonconforming themes.
‘Anti-Bullying’ Book with Transgender Themes Pulled From 1st Grade Lesson Plan
The book, Jacob’s New Dress, was pulled after Republican lawmakers complained. For several month a group called Values Coalition has charged the district of using "indoctrinating" materials.
Free Speech Groups Defend Graphic Novel Censored in Oklahoma Over ‘Adult Themes’
NCAC highlights that Stuck in the Middle is praised for its realistic, un-sanitized depiction of difficult situations that characterize the harder truths of teenage life.
NCAC Protests Oregon School’s Unwarranted Removal of Eleanor & Park
NCAC’s letter to the school district reprimands the school for violating its own book challenge review process, and emphasizes the value of Rowell’s novel.
Literary Classics Removed from High-School’s Alternative Reading List in Alaska
Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, and Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian were flagged for "explicit, graphic" content.
Without Review, Oregon Middle School Removes Eleanor & Park After Parents Complain
The Yamhill-Carlton School District in Western Oregon pulled the New York Times bestseller from a school lesson plan without following the school's review process for book challenges.
South Dakota Bill Deemed by Critics to Threaten Education in Evolution and Climate Change
According to the bill, “no teacher may be prohibited from helping students understand, analyze, critique, or review in an objective scientific manner the strengths and weaknesses of scientific information.”
NCAC Issues Rebuttal to Supporters of Virginia ‘Sexually Explicit’ Book Regulation; UPDATE: Bill Vetoed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe
NCAC and other free speech groups write to the VA Board of Education in advance of a January 26th meeting to discuss the proposal.
NCAC Objects to Bill Requiring Parental Notification Prior to Teaching of Sex Ed. Materials; UPDATE: NH Gov Signs Bill Into Law
The letter questions the bills breadth, which may end up flagging valuable works of literature that include sexual scenes.
NCAC Releases Statement in Support of Rep. Clay’s Decision to Re-Display Controversial Painting; UPDATE: NCAC Addresses Justification for Removal
The statement reprimands Representative Hunter, who removed the painting from the U.S, Capitol, for his disregard of the First Amendment.
NCAC, Allies Advise Virginia School District on How to Avoid Future Censorship
In a follow up letter, NCAC stresses the district that banned TKAM/ Huck Finn needs an innocent-until-proven-guilty approach to book challenges.
Introducing CENSORPEDIA, NCAC’s Crowdsourced Wiki for Censorship Incidents
Censorpedia currently contains over 1200 individual incidents collected over the years and contributed by students, NCAC staff and volunteers, artists and, potentially, YOU!
Groups Defend Intellectual Freedom and the Right to Read; Stand by Embattled Publisher
In his statement, the author of 'Bad Little Children’s Books' has asked ABRAMS not to print another edition of the book, because it has been so widely misunderstood and misconstrued.
NCAC, Allies Defend Literary Classics After Censorship in Virginia Schools; UPDATE: District Reinstates Books, Moves to Revise Suspension Policy
The incident is particularly egregious because Accomack County Public Schools has already temporarily removed these universally acclaimed works.
NCAC Defends Place of The Perks of Being a Wallflower In Iowa Classrooms; UPDATE: Committee Votes in Favor of Keeping the Book
NCAC has written in defense of Chbosky's oft-challenged novel, which Iowa parents claimed was 'obscene.'
NCAC Criticizes WA Daycare Program’s Ban on Books With ‘Frightening Images’
NCAC's letter expresses concern that the "frightening images" stipulation is over broad and may end up excluding valuable literature.
Iowa Parents Argue The Perks of Being A Wallflower Potentially Harmful for Students
A review committee has been convened to discuss the future of the book in the Dubuque Community school curriculum.
NCAC Defends Textbook Against Accusations of ‘Islamic Indoctrination’
NCAC's letter underlines the mistake of conflating religious education with religious indoctrination.
NCAC Protests New Effort to Label Books ‘Sexually Explicit’ in Virginia Schools
The proposed regulation is the latest of several similar efforts NCAC has opposed in Virginia.
The Ideas That Unite Us
A post-election letter from NCAC’s Executive Director.
Fearing Islamic ‘Indoctrination’, Tennessee Parent Objects to Social Studies Textbook
According to the Sullivan County Parents Against Islamic Indoctrination, their children's ignorance of Islam is preferred.
To Counter Book Censorship, Amplify the Voices of Young Readers
"Young readers need challenging books to help them become empathetic, caring, knowledgeable, thoughtful, and mature adults," Bertin and Davis state. "They’ll tell you that themselves, if you just ask them."
Oklahoma Library System Embroiled in Issue Over Placement of LGBT Books
Oklahoma LGBT activists are calling into question a local library policy that limits the placement of LGBT-themed books to sections that hold books on sensitive topics such as drug use, incarceration and sexual abuse.
Washington State Daycare Program Prohibits Kids’ Access to ‘Frightening’ Books
A daycare requirement to prevent young student's access to "frightening" materials may come at the cost of librarian's literary expertise in choosing student reading.
Library Pub. Suggests YA Novel with Bi Character Inappropriate for Young Readers; UPDATE: Response from VOYA
VOYA dismissed critics of its recommendation. But why are VOYA readers rightly concerned?
KRRP’s Annual Recap of Top Book Censorship Cases
For Banned Books Week, the Kids' Right to Read Project has released its annual recap of book censorship cases. Labeling books "sexually explicit", the teaching of Islam in schools and sanitizing slavery, it's all here in the form of a handy, printable flyer.