book bans
Florida congressman proposes federal funding to help schools fight book bans
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost unveiled legislation Tuesday to combat a nationwide surge in book bans. Frost, a Florida Democrat, is pushing the —± which he discussed at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol alongside fellow House Democrats and advocacy groups. Frost’s bill would provide funding for school districts so that they can […]
Scholastic needs to take a stand against book censorship
If you could combine Pretzel Day from “The Office” and Treat Yo’ Self Day from “Parks and Recreation” for elementary school-aged Leann, it would have been the Scholastic Book Fair. You’re telling me there’s going to be a pop-up book fair with not only books, but posters, pencils, erasers and bookmarks in my school? And […]
U.S. House Republicans target ‘explicit’ books in school libraries
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee split at a Thursday hearing about whether some books containing LGBTQ+ content should be removed from public school libraries. Democrats criticized the hearing as leaning into culture war topics to attack public education, and said that those tactics resulted in book bans. […]
Censorship of books puts West Virginia students at a disadvantage
It’s tempting to think of the so-called Kanawha Textbook Wars as a relic from the past, but this Banned Books Week, we should ask ourselves just how far we’ve come since 1974. That year, pro-censorship forces descended on the Kanawha Valley to gin up outrage over multicultural textbooks in public schools. Buses were shot, the […]
First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans
WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]
U.S. Senate hearing on book bans probes censorship attempts in local libraries
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators at a committee hearing Tuesday discussed the consequences of book bans and parents’ desire to control what their kids read — though they also acknowledged it’s not an issue for Congress to settle. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about book bans, focusing on how censorship limits liberty and literature. The […]
Far-right group Moms for Liberty launches first WV chapter
Moms For Liberty, a conservative “parental rights” activist group, launched its first chapter in West Virginia. The group announced the news in a Facebook post Aug. 17. The chapter is in Kanawha County, where lawmakers gather for the Legislative session at the State Capitol. Moms for Liberty is based in Florida, and the Kanawha chapter […]