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Logo for PEN America featuring the organizations name in bold black letters inside a red, open rectangular speech bubble on a white background, symbolizing its stand against Educational Intimidation Bills.

Samantha LaFrance

Manager, Editorial Projects, Free Expression and Education

Sam LaFrance is the Manager of Editorial Projects for the Free Expression and Education team.

Publications

Virginia just revealed the truth behind government attacks on DEI
Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 2024

Don’t Say Rape: How the Book Banning Movement Is Censoring Sexual Violence
Ms. Magazine, March 2024

Florida’s latest ideological battle ground: teacher training
South Florida Sun Sentinel, January 2023

Dangerous Ohio bill will breed self-censorship and fear, not intellectual freedom
Columbus Dispatch, December 2023

How campuses can protect free speech and student safety amid the Israel-Hamas war
Higher Ed Dive, November 2023

Protecting Students’ Freedom to Learn
Educational Leadership Magazine, September 2023

Florida officials must take credit for their destructive school work
South Florida Sun Sentinel, August 2023

Utah audit report targets schools and censors teachers
Salt Lake Tribune, November 2022

PEN America Reports

Educational Intimidation Bills: How “Parents’ Rights” Legislation Undermines the Freedom to Learn (August, 2023)

Articles by Samantha LaFrance

Banned BooksU.S. Free Expression
Thursday August 22

The State of Book Bans: Utah’s ‘No-Read List’

The law has now opened the floodgates for mass bans across Utah, and also requires schools to “dispose” of any banned books from their libraries.

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Banned Books
Monday July 29

Local no longer: 4 new laws and policies bring book banning to the state level

A new spate of state laws and policies is giving lie to the idea that banning books is about families making decisions for their own children.

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Educational CensorshipU.S. Free Expression
Friday July 26

University of Alabama campuses didn’t have to close their DEI offices. They did anyway.

The closures are a textbook example of how universities ought not to respond to educational censorship: banning offices and concepts via administrative overcompliance that are not banned by law.

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More Articles by Samantha LaFrance

A man in a blue pinstripe suit and yellow tie speaks at a podium with microphones, gesturing with his hands. The background is red and blue with a subtle star design.
U.S. Free ExpressionCampus Free SpeechEducational Censorship
Friday April 19

What’s going on in Louisiana?

Bookshelves filled with colorful books in a library, with people sitting and working at tables in the softly blurred background.
Educational CensorshipU.S. Free Expression
Tuesday April 9

Destabilizing public libraries | Louisiana HB 777

A split image showing three government buildings with domed roofs and columns, each photographed under a clear blue sky. The architectural styles are grand and classical, resembling state capitols.
U.S. Free ExpressionBanned BooksEducational Censorship
Friday March 1

Three new bills that threaten the freedom to read

The Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery, featuring a white dome, columns, clock, and a U.S. flag on top, surrounded by trees under a clear blue sky.
U.S. Free ExpressionEducational Censorship
Tuesday February 27

Stopping WOKE in Alabama | AL SB 129

The photo shows a grand stone building with a golden dome, arched windows, and columns, set against a clear blue sky. Manicured lawns and walkways lead up to the entrance.
U.S. Free ExpressionEducational Censorship
Monday February 26

More cowboys, less freedom | WY SF 1S3013

A large, classical-style government building with tall columns and a central dome, surrounded by green trees and grass under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
U.S. Free ExpressionEducational Censorship
Friday February 16

New ‘diversity’ bills in Kentucky and Indiana miss the mark

The Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln, featuring a tall central tower with a golden dome, surrounded by trees and a clear blue sky.
Educational Censorship
Monday February 12

Nebraska lawmakers are considering damaging DEI and tenure bans

White government building with tall columns and a dome, lit up at dusk, surrounded by palm trees, green lawn, colorful flowers, and modern skyscraper in the background.
U.S. Free ExpressionCampus Free SpeechEducational Censorship
Wednesday February 7

Six Dangerous Bills That Would Censor Speech on Campuses Across the Country

A group of thirteen adults, dressed in business and business-casual attire, stand together and smile for a photo in front of a beige wall on a patterned carpet, following a discussion on university censorship.
Educational CensorshipU.S. Free Expression
Friday January 26

Champions of Higher Education Unite to Fight Educational Censorship

A large white capitol building with a prominent dome stands behind a circular flower bed, trees, and a walkway under a clear blue sky. A few people are walking on the grounds.
Educational CensorshipU.S. Free Expression
Wednesday January 24

‘Parental Rights’ in Wisconsin | WI AB 510

A collage of diverse book covers, including titles like Beyond Magenta, City of Thieves, It Ends With Us, Thirteen Reasons Why, and others, arranged diagonally on a white background.
Banned BooksU.S. Free Expression
Friday January 19

25 books banned in Marietta, Georgia, over parent objections

A collage features two students holding protest signs; one with tape on their mouth holding Silence = Death to Higher Ed, the other with a Say Gay sign. Text reads: Americas Censored Classrooms 2023: Lawmakers Shift Strategies as Resistance Rises.
U.S. Free ExpressionEducational Censorship
Monday November 20

The Topics Teachers Are Too Afraid to Teach

A woman with short hair sits in a motorized wheelchair, wearing a patterned shirt and dark pants. She has a tracheostomy tube and is smiling in front of a gray stone wall.
U.S. Free Expression
Friday September 22

A Disability Activist Is Asked to Change Her Speech By Boston University Her Response: In Future Speaking Contracts, No Changes will be Allowed

A group of people stand side by side at a protest, holding colorful handmade signs with messages supporting LGBTQ+ rights, including Say Gay and You cant make anybody less gay, in opposition to the dont say gay laws 2023.
Educational Censorship
Thursday August 31

It’s Not Just Florida: 4 New ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Laws Passed in 2023

A collage of classic book covers, including 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, and works by Judy Blume and James Baldwin—many recently spotlighted amid Iowa book bans.
Banned BooksGlobal Free ExpressionU.S. Free Expression
Thursday August 3

These Books Are Banned in Urbandale, Iowa School District

A billboard reads, Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomes you to Florida, The Sunshine State, with Dont Say Gay or Trans stamped in red text across it. Palm trees and sponsor logos are also visible.
Educational Censorship
Thursday February 16

Educational Censorship Continues: The 2023 Legislative Sessions So Far