Steep Rise in Gag Orders, Many Sloppily Drafted
Over the last three weeks, 65 bills have been formally introduced in state legislatures across the country, a rate of roughly three bills per day. More
Open Letter to the School Board of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
PEN America urges the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District not to pass the “Resolution Opposing the Teaching of Critical Race Theory.” More
Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, Reza Khandan Mahabadi | Status: Released | Iran
Baktash Abtin, Kevyan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi are three celebrated writers, free expression advocates, and board members of the Iranian Writers’ Association (IWA), who were sentenced to a… More
New Stop W.O.K.E. Act Fits Disturbing Pattern in Education Culture War
Governor DeSantis’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act, while undoubtedly aggressive, is no aberration. On the contrary, it is increasingly—and disturbingly—business as usual. More
Scope and Speed of Educational Gag Orders Worsening Across the Country
In the month since the release of our report, educational gag orders have grown more sweeping in scope and become law with increasing speed. More
The PEN Pod: On Self-Censorship, Book Bans, and Biden’s Virtual Democracy Summit
“Students are really crucial allies. They have, I think, an instinctive sense of not wanting to be told what they can and can’t read.” More
Here Are Four Things Educational Gag Orders Could Ban
We offer illustrative examples of texts, documents, and discourse that educational gag orders could bar from being taught or discussed in classrooms. More
PEN America Calls Restriction of 400 Books in Texas Predictable, Unfortunate
Today, PEN America denounced North East ISD, one of the largest school districts in Texas, for removing more than 400 books for review while responding to a request from… More
The PEN Pod: On Peng Shuai, Critical Race Theory Taboos, and Simpsons Censorship
“It’s just this very palpable way in which the pressure is being felt at every level. . . from top administrators to individual professors who are being put under… More