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.
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.
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.
Journalism Against the Odds: Student Press Freedom Day 2021
Student Press Freedom Day celebrates how vital student journalists are to public discourse, to informing their communities with unbiased and accurate information, and to holding those in power accountable to those they serve.
NCAC Urges Tennessee Universities to Resist Demands to Censor Student Athletes
NCAC calls on the leaders of the University of Tennessee system to resist political pressure and to defend their students' rights to peacefully protest.
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.
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 [...]
Let Me Speak Design Contest Series
As part of NCAC’s virtual Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders Benefit, we are happy to announce the Let Me Speak Design Contest Series, a collection of three unique art contests: Becky Albertalli Fan Art Portugal The Man Boycott the Book Ban Logo NCAC Youth Free Expression Film Contest Logo Each contest is an opportunity for artists and designers [...]
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.
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.
Virtual First Amendment Classroom for Teachers
As millions of students and teachers adjust to virtual learning in response to the coronavirus pandemic, NCAC will offer teachers the opportunity to host virtual presentations on free speech and the First Amendment by guest speakers from our staff of experts.
Student Journalist Coronavirus Toolkit from Student Press Law Center
Assistance and support for student journalists and advisers reporting on COVID-19 who may experience interference, obstruction or censorship of their work.
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.
Michigan Teacher Denies Student Request to Write About Same Sex Marriage
Michigan teacher who denied student request to write about same-sex marriage owes student an apology and district should reaffirm students' free expression rights.
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.
Proposed Library Legislation in Missouri Threatens Freedom to Read
NCAC opposes proposed legislation threatening Missouri libraries' independence and citizens' freedom to read.
Arizona Legislature Considers Sex Ed Restrictions: UPDATED
Arizona considers banning sex ed before seventh grade.
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.
Truth Is Complicated
George Washington High School students, Lía Sánchez, Rowan Francis Taylor and Dava Munyon, share their thoughts on the Victor Arnautoff murals.
Back to School: 9 Resources for Students
This school year we want you to be prepared to defend your right to speak, think and create.
San Francisco Mural Controversy: Perspectives and Updates
UPDATE October 4, 2019: The George Washington High School Alumni Association filed a lawsuit in the public interest against the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education, challenging the School Board’s commitment to remove from public view Victor Arnautoff’s 1936 New Deal mural with panels without conducting an environmental review, which is required by California law. UPDATE August 13, [...]
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.
Statement on Ohio House Speaker’s Attempts to Suppress Pride Events
House Speaker Larry Householder’s letter pressuring the Ohio Library Council to cancel youth events in celebration of Pride month is an assault on free speech principles and an abuse of political power.
Truth to Power: Film Contest Winners and Semi-Finalists
Over 100 teen filmmakers spoke Truth to Power for this year’s YFEP Film Contest. We invited teens to speak directly to those in power to lead change about issues that matter to them. The 12 finalist films tackled a wide range of polarizing, and often taboo, topics including gun violence, immigrant family separation, gender equality, toxic masculinity, shaming and [...]
Compromise Reached Over Disputed Los Angeles School Mural
After intervention from artists, advocates and community groups, a compromise has been reached that will allow the mural to remain with artist Beau Stanton overseeing changes to the work.
NCAC Condemns Removal of Student Artwork Critical of Police
A student artwork critical of police was removed from a school exhibition in Madeira, Ohio, flagrantly disregarding the student's rights.
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.
Filmmaker’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
An overview of what you can, and can't, use in a student film.
Resources for First-Time Filmmakers
We’ve collected all the information you’ll need to make a great 4-minute film on a shoe-string budget!
Defend LGBTQ Stories: A Resource
Despite hard-won progress towards LGBTQ equality, books centering LGBTQ characters and stories remain among the most frequently challenged and banned in schools and libraries. The freedom to read stories about people of diverse sexual and gender identities can validate and empower all youth, especially those who may identify as LGBTQ. When LGBTQ youth do not see themselves represented in [...]
NCAC Opposes Removal of Mural at Los Angeles School
The superintendent of a Los Angeles school district has unilaterally decided to remove a mural on display on the exterior wall of RFK Community Schools’ theater after some members of the surrounding community complained that visual elements of the mural resembled the Rising Sun flag of Imperialist Japan.
NCAC Opposes Attempts to Ban Drag Queen Story Hour in Houston
NCAC supports the Houston Public Library’s commitment to open and diverse programming.
Wisconsin High School Cancels Production of To Kill A Mockingbird
Shorewood High School canceled the production hours before it was scheduled to debut, to the dismay of both supporters and planned protesters.
NCAC Supports Louisiana Library Hosting Drag Queen Story Time | UPDATE: Success!
Controversy arose over the announcement that the library would host the family-focused program, which features reading, singing and crafts presided over by drag queens.
Why (Your) Protest Matters: Film Contest Winners and Semi-Finalists
This year's Youth Free Expression Program Film Contest asked filmmakers under 19 to create films that think broadly about protest, demonstration and change. After receiving hundreds of entries, we are delighted to share our 8 semi-finalist films.
Read with Pride: 10 Great LGBTQ YA Books for Summer
Kick off summer with NCAC's recommendations for books that amplify LGBTQ stories and voices, and that are frequently banned in schools!
Prosper High School Journalists Stand Up to Censorship | UPDATED
Student journalists at Prosper High School wrote to their Superintendent to protest the dismissal of their journalism instructor and the repeated censorship of editorial pieces in the student publication, Eagle Nation Online.