(NEW YORK)— In response to a decision Monday by a Jackson County MO Circuit Court judge striking down a 2022 state law imposing criminal sanctions on school employees for supplying “sexually explicit material” to students, PEN America issued the following comment today:
“The court’s ruling is a win for librarians, educators, students, and schools,” said Kasey Meehan, director, Freedom to Read, at PEN America. “Making school employees criminals over their book selections is simply outrageous and unacceptable. The overturning of Missouri’s pernicious “book banning” law sends a signal that vague, confusing, and threatening legislation that restricts the right to read have no place in state law. The law led to hundreds of books banned. Now that this law is void, these banned books must be returned to shelves.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057