Politics Jul 07 U.S. appeals court will review its prior order in a Texas county’s library book ban case Llano County officials have argued that they have broad authority to decide which books belong on library shelves, while library patrons who sued the county said removing the books — which deal with subjects including sex, gender identity and racism… By Kevin McGill, Associated Press
Education Dec 30 Watch 5:58 What to know about Iowa’s ban on school books, LGBTQ+ topics halted by a judge A federal judge in Iowa has temporarily blocked key parts of a state law that would ban books from school libraries if they depicted a “sex act.” The law also bars teachers from discussing gender identity and sexuality before seventh… By Lisa Desjardins, Kaisha Young, Andrew Corkery
Education May 24 Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem banned by Florida school “The Hill We Climb” was challenged by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes. It was not immediately clear why the parent objected to Gorman's poem. By Freida Frisaro, Associated Press
Politics Apr 24 WATCH: Biden and Education Secretary Cardona honor 2023 Teachers of the Year President Joe Biden honored the nation's best teachers Monday, saying they go above and beyond by providing food and supplies out of their own pockets and often find themselves “explaining the unexplainable, from banned books to duck-and-cover drills.”… By Josh Boak, Colleen Long, Associated Press
Mar 02 Watch 5:22 Librarians in Louisiana at odds with conservative activists working to ban books By Roby Chavez, Karina Cuevas Scrutiny of libraries, books and teaching materials has become a central issue for conservative politicians around the nation. In Louisiana, the fight over banning books is escalating and targeting librarians as conservative Christian groups are working to take over the… Continue watching
Aug 23 Watch 6:37 National debate over parental rights and censorship enters local school board races By Amna Nawaz School board elections are increasingly becoming proxies for the larger political culture wars on issues of race, gender and parental rights. Several states have recently implemented laws that critics say effectively ban books in schools and libraries. Kelly Jensen, an… Continue watching
Apr 21 Mark Twain’s weird but perfect ending By Dr. Howard Markel The night Twain was born, there was a brilliant view of Halley's Comet flying right over his hometown. Continue reading
Mar 10 Watch 6:40 Nationwide effort to ban books challenges freedom of speech By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet Advocates are sounding the alarm about a set of measures that they say target teaching and writing related to LGBTQ issues, race and freedom of speech. Around the country, efforts to ban specific books or even whole categories of books… Continue watching
Sep 28 Alexie, Pilkey books among most ‘challenged’ of past decade By Hillel Italie, Associated Press The American Library Association compiled a list of 100 books that have been most subjected to censorship efforts over the past decade. Continue reading