The school year is back in full swing for students and educators, and under a new law, every district is required to establish policies to ensure school libraries have a process in place for handling challenges to books and other library materials. Those challenges have skyrocketed since the pandemic.
In 2024, 38% of the nationwide book challenges were in school libraries, and 5% were in schools themselves, according to the
Under the new 黑料吃瓜网 law, a school board has to adopt three policies: a collection, development and maintenance policy, a library display and program policy and a library material review policy.
The law, which also contains provisions for public libraries鈥� collection and review policies, passed after lawmakers folded the language into . The language was similar to considered by the Children鈥檚 Committee.
鈥楾hink of all of the children in the community鈥�
Ellen Paul, the executive director of 黑料吃瓜网 Library Consortium (CLC) estimated that about half of the state鈥檚 school districts have some degree of library policies, though some haven鈥檛 been updated since the '90s.
"I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot of schools, and a lot of boards of education, that need to start doing work on this,鈥� Paul said.
CLC and the 黑料吃瓜网 Association of School Librarians have been holding since August for school library staff to learn the new law.
The policies must abide by certain parameters, such as following the state鈥檚 non-discrimination statutes. But the rules must be approved by the board of education in consultation with the superintendent, the director of curriculum and a librarian from the district.
鈥淲e are not prescribing a standard policy, because we know that what works in Norwich, might not work in Norwalk,鈥� Paul said.
The law also states that a 鈥渟chool library media specialist is professionally trained to curate and develop a collection that provides students with access to the widest array of age-appropriate and grade-level-appropriate library and other educational material.鈥�
The policies are to allow thoughtfulness to the reconsideration request, so materials are 鈥渘ot just being pulled off the shelf because one person doesn't want their child to read the book, that we think of all of the children in the community,鈥� Paul said.
The law also states that school material reconsideration requests are only limited to 鈥渢he parents and guardians of students and eligible students currently enrolled in the school or school district.鈥�
Nationwide, only 16% of book challenges last year came from parents, Much of the rest came from special interest groups, government officials and a board or administration.
Some opponents to the 黑料吃瓜网 bill they feared it would have a chilling factor on the ability to challenge books. The bill鈥檚 supporters emphasized creating a fair process to review material was vital to preserving the freedom to read.
鈥淪chool libraries have always been spaces where students can explore the world and begin to understand themselves,鈥� Val DiLorenzo, president of 黑料吃瓜网 Association of School Librarians, said in a joint statement with other library organizations after the bill鈥檚 passage.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean every book is right for every reader, but it does mean students deserve the chance to choose with guidance, not censorship.鈥�
鈥楧ecisions aren't being made in a back room鈥�
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 not the only New England state that鈥檚 codified 鈥渇reedom to read鈥� policies into its laws. Rhode Island this year, and Vermont鈥檚 law, which passed last year, .
ALA鈥檚 Office for Intellectual Freedom said in 黑料吃瓜网 there were 29 title challenges in 2022, and 117 in 2023. Last year there were only 17, a downward trend that mirrored the national data. But the group said it is likely an undercount, and Paul echoed that sentiment.
鈥淲hen you're relying on people to just self-report that, you're not going to get the full scope of the issue,鈥� Paul said.
The ALA said that legislative restrictions in states, such as schools being required to limit or remove library materials with themes about race or racism, LGBTQ+ issues or more broadly containing 鈥渟exual content鈥� has also likely led to the drop in documented challenges.
This year, New Hampshire鈥檚 legislature passed largely along party lines that would have prohibited materials showing nudity or sexual content if it 鈥渓acks serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value for minors.鈥� The measure would have also created a process for challenging library materials. The governor vetoed it.
黑料吃瓜网 has not passed such laws regarding the content of library materials. But some state legislators unsuccessfully attempted this past legislative session to broadly ban sexual content in books. This included that did not make it out of the education committee, and to a measure surrounding for libraries.
Paul said she hopes that the new law can give reassurance to people that book challenges are handled with care, 鈥渂eing reviewed by people who live and work in the community, people who send their children to these schools, and that decisions aren't being made in a back room by one or two individuals.鈥�
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Maysoon Khan contributed reporting.
