Amid Crisis of School Book Bans, Banned Books Week Arrives Oct. 1 with Urgency to Defend the Freedom to Read
LINK to the PEN America Banned Books Week actions and events (NEW YORK)— With school book bans surging 33 percent over the past school year, this year’s Banned Books Week Oct.… More
Support for Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Educational Censorship
(Washington) – As the movement to ban books and censor classrooms continues to undermine free speech and academic freedom across our nation’s public schools, Representative Jamie Raskin on Wednesday… More
New Report: Book Bans Spike by 33% Over Last School Year
“The toll of the book banning movement is getting worse. More kids are losing access to books, more libraries are taking authors off the shelves, and opponents of free… More
Review of Over 20,000 Books in Georgia School District is “Outrageous”
Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America, said: “This outrageous policy decision is sure to lead to censorship. Schools and school libraries must serve the information-needs… More
PEN America Comments on Federal Government Appointment in Response to School Book Bans
PEN America has been at the forefront of documenting and defending against the unprecedented rise of school book bans nationwide. Texas, Florida and Missouri lead with the most books banned currently.… More
Temporary Ruling to Halt Implementation of TX Law on Book Ratings is a Victory for the Freedom to Read
Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America, said: “We welcome this decision to temporarily halt the implementation of HB 900. This law, which forces private companies… More
New Laws Target LGBTQ+ Students and Put Pressure on Teachers to Monitor and Report Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Schools
“This is an alarming trend that threatens to turn teachers into the sexuality and gender police of public education, forcing them by law to monitor the most personal of… More
New Report: Surge of Intrusive Legislation to Intimidate Teachers, Drive Self-Censorship in Schools
“This rising tide of educational intimidation exposes the movement that cloaks itself in the language of ‘parental rights’ for what it really is: a smoke screen for efforts to… More
PEN America: Withdrawal by Arkansas of AP African-American Studies Course is “Reckless and Ideologically-Motivated”
PEN America’s Freedom to Learn program director Jeremy C. Young said: “In its zeal to copy Florida’s destructive policies, Arkansas has demonstrated that attacks on intellectual freedom in schools… More
Hundreds of Books Targeted for Removal in Iowa School District Over New ‘Age Appropriate” Law
“Our letter to Urbandale Community School District signals to district leaders and others across the state that ‘broad interpretations’ of vague laws threaten the freedom to read for students… More
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