Tennessee School District Bans Teaching of Acclaimed Holocaust Novel MAUS
A Tennessee school district has banned the teaching of Art Spiegelman's Pulitizer Prize-winning graphic novel, MAUS, in its eighth grade unit on the Holocaust.
Wayzata, Minnesota, School Removes Lawn Boy Against District Regulations
School officials in Wayzata, Minnesota, recently removed Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison from the Wayzata High School library in violation of District regulations.
It’s Perfectly Normal and In the Night Kitchen Removed from Llano County Library in Texas | Updated
The National Coalition Against Censorship is concerned about the recent removal of two books from Texas's Llano County library: It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris; and In The Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak.
Concerns Over Extensive Book Review at North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas
One of Texas's largest school districts removed hundreds of books for review, in violation of district policy, in response to a legislator's investigation of books in schools.
NCAC Offers Support to Illinois School District in Updating Book Challenge Policies | Updated
Illinois school district pressured to remove books from school libraries by violent alt-right gang Proud Boys.
NCAC Leads Coalition Statement on the Attack on Books in Schools
An organized political attack on books in schools threatens the education of America’s children. NCAC and over 600 co-signers are deeply concerned about this sudden rise in censorship and its impact on education, the rights of students, and freedom of expression.
Keller, Texas, School District Censors Library Books in Violation of Policy
Keller Independent School District in Keller, TX, recently appeared to violate its own policies when it removed several books from school library shelves.
NCAC Protests District’s Removal of Gender Queer from School Libraries in Pinellas County, Florida
The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to the Board of Education of Pinellas County Schools in Largo, FL, to protest the recent removal of Gender Queer from school libraries shelves. This is the latest in a series of book removals across the country that ignore policy and best practice in removing books before a formal review takes place.
Kansas City, Missouri, District Censors Fun Home and All Boys Aren’t Blue in School Libraries | UPDATED
North Kansas City Schools improperly censored two books--Fun Home and All Boys Aren't Blue--from district libraries in violation of their book review policy.
School District in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Reviewing Gender Queer in School Libraries | UPDATED
Superintendent in Harrisonburg, Virginia, unilaterally removed Gender Queer from school libraries in violation of district policy and free expression principles.
New Jersey School Censors Student’s Black Lives Matter Poster in African American Culture Display | Updated
A student’s Black Lives Matter poster was censored at Hillsborough Middle School in New Jersey because of apparent disagreement with the political views it expressed.
Florida’s Brevard County Public Schools Remove Gender Queer from Library Shelves Without Review
Brevard County Public Schools in central Florida recently removed Maia Kobabe's graphic novel/memoir Gender Queer from school library shelves without regard to its own book challenge procedures.
Orlando, Florida, School District Ignores Procedures in Removing Gender Queer from Libraries | Updated
A school district in Orlando, Florida, violated its book challenge procedures in removing Gender Queer from libraries without formal review.
Spotsylvania County Public Schools Issue Unconstitutional Order to Remove “Sexually Explicit” Books from Libraries | UPDATED: Order Revoked
NCAC has objected to an unconstitutional order from Spotsylvania County Public Schools in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that “sexually explicit” books be removed from district libraries.
NCAC Criticizes Brooklyn School’s Censorship of Student Mural | UPDATED
The principal at the elementary school in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood removed a mural created by several fifth graders because of apparent discomfort with some of its content.
NCAC and Dramatists Guild Object to Cancellation of School Play with Gay Character in Hillsboro, Ohio
Hillsboro High School in Ohio cancelled a production of Qui Nguyen’s play, She Kills Monsters, due to “inappropriate language, profanity, homophobic slurs, sexual innuendos and graphic violence," but likely also because it features a gay character.
Pennsylvania’s Wissahickon School District Censors Gender Queer in School Libraries
In violation of district policy, Wissahickon School District in Pennsylvania censored Gender Queer from library shelves.
Utah School District Censors School Library Books | Updated
Canyons School District in Utah has censored several award-winning books from school libraries in violation of its own district policies.
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.
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
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 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.
NCAC Joins Letter Calling on Arkansas Superintendent to Reprint Censored Yearbook Pages
The National Coalition Against Censorship has signed on to a letter by the Student Press Law Center calling on the Superintendent of Arkansas’s Bigelow High School to reprint yearbook pages that were censored after alleged “community backlash.” The letter also asks that the Superintendent apologize to the yearbook staff and former adviser Meghan Walter who resigned due to the censorship. [...]
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.
Supreme Court Rules on Off-Campus Student Speech Rights in Mahanoy vs. B.L. Case
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a student's First Amendment rights for off-campus speech, but the Mahanoy decision left questions unanswered.
Non-Partisan Coalition Statement Opposing “Divisive Concepts” Legislation
Non-partisan coalition statement in a response to attempts to limit teaching related to critical race theory, under a broad umbrella of "divisive concepts," including free speech and First Amendment framework for opposition advocacy.
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.
Oklahoma School District Bans Black Lives Matter Shirts
NCAC criticizes Ardmore schools in Oklahoma for banning Black Lives Matter shirts.
NCAC Objects to Student Protest Ban in South Sioux City, Nebraska, School District
A Nebraska school district recently banned all protests on school grounds in violation of students' First Amendment rights.
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.
No Sex, No Social Justice: 2021 Legislative Pressures On Public Education
Proposed legislation in several states attempts to ban teaching about sexuality and social justice in classrooms.
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.
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.