About half of Houston ISD's campuses have had zero library checkouts so far this school year, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
School Libraries
McKinney ISD limits library book challenges to parents | McKinney | Community Impact
McKinney ISD residents who do not have a child enrolled in the district will no longer be able to challenge library materials. “Reviewing a challenge requires staff time and district resources,” Akins said. “This change is intended to focus that work on concerns raised by those with a direct connection to our schools.”
Makes perfect sense!
Dallas ISD pulls books after Dan Patrick library warning
A year after Texas lawmakers passed a bill giving parents and school boards a bigger role in deciding what books are included on library shelves, some policymakers are looking to further limit what they describe as obscene material in schools. Free speech advocates and parents say pressure from officials in Austin is leading districts to pull books from libraries, cutting off students’ access to thousands of literary works.
While their numbers decline, some say school librarians are more important than ever – The Lansing Journal
Illinois currently ranks 7th out of 48 states and Washington D.C. for the total number of full-time-equivalent school librarians, according to the academic research group SLIDE, which monitors school library employment at the national, state, and district levels. (Tennessee and South Carolina don’t share their data with Slide.)
Only SOME think that??
Utah launches $60,000 review of school library book selection process
The State Board decided to look deeper into how library materials arrive in schools after members said they felt they lacked a full understanding of the process. Board member Emily Green said at a May meeting, “So we don't have to continue to be reactive to an industry that has full access to a minority population." She hopes the review will help align library practices with Utah’s sensitive materials law, which requires a book’s removal if at least three school districts or two districts and five charter schools independently find it meets the state’s definition of sensitive material.
Missouri Supreme Court Hears Appeal of School Library ‘Expli…
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office contends that the law falls within constitutional limits, asking the judges to overturn the circuit court’s decision and allow the case to go to trial. But David Thoreson, an attorney representing the librarians, told the judges that the law sweeps much more broadly than obscenity restrictions and therefore is unconstitutional.
School Librarians Hesitant to Discuss Books Amid Texas Battles to Restrict Titles
"When you put your finger on every single book in order to type it into a spreadsheet, you really do think, 'Am I willing to lose my job over this particular book?'" Strong said. "And I think that is a real concern for teachers around the state."
Iowa Librarians Work to Decipher Muddled Book Law Mandate | School Library Journal
Since 2023, Iowa’s book law, SF 496, has reshaped what students can learn and read in public schools. The controversial law bans mandatory K–6 instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation and restricts school library materials containing sexual content across K–12.
Secret library of explicit books prompts investigations in PA School District
Secret library of explicit books prompts investigations in Lebanon County school district
“When I went through and saw the vulgarity and profanity within this book, I was shocked. One book handed to me contained very graphic sexual content, derogatory terms, and detailed explanations of explicit acts, including depictions of BDSM and other inappropriate behaviors,” she said.
Utah book banners now want to make Little Free Libraries susceptible to criminal charges
As conservative parents, educators, and politicians spread the book-banning movement across the nation, Utah has quickly arisen as one of the most dystopian states when it comes to the right to read. The state recently passed a law that allows it to enact statewide book bans. Essentially, if a handful of schools find some kind of fault with a book, it can be banned in every single public and charter school in the state. The Utah Board of Education also suggested adding a stipulation to the law that would’ve required teachers to burn the books banned statewide. Meanwhile, the state’s conservative politicians and educators recently held a book-banning party to celebrate the archaic law and demand that authors “repent” for writing books.
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