book bans

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, introduced the “Fight Book Bans Act” at a press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

Florida congressman proposes federal funding to help schools fight book bans

BY: - December 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost unveiled legislation Tuesday to combat a nationwide surge in book bans. Frost, a Florida Democrat, is pushing the “Fight Book Bans Act,” which he discussed at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol alongside fellow House Democrats and advocacy groups. Frost’s bill would provide funding for school districts so […]

On November ballot, Ohio libraries look for support

BY: - October 27, 2023

Ohio’s public library staff and supporters are standing behind their systems, and hope the two-dozen levies hitting ballots on Nov. 7 garner support from voters, even as some try to censor and control the work they do. For the 20 counties whose library systems have levies on the ballot in the upcoming general election, the […]

U.S. House Republicans target ‘explicit’ books in school libraries

BY: - October 23, 2023

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee split at a hearing last week about whether some books containing LGBTQ+ content should be removed from public school libraries. Democrats criticized the hearing as leaning into culture war topics to attack public education, and said that those tactics resulted in book bans. […]

During the 2022–23 school year, book bans occurred in 153 districts across 33 states, according to a PEN America report. (Getty Images)

First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans

BY: - October 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]

U.S. Senate hearing on book bans probes censorship attempts in local libraries

BY: - September 14, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators at a committee hearing Tuesday discussed the consequences of book bans and parents’ desire to control what their kids read — though they also acknowledged it’s not an issue for Congress to settle. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about book bans, focusing on how censorship limits liberty and literature. The […]

White House to name coordinator to push back against book bans, among new LGBTQ protections

BY: - June 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — As part of the celebration of Pride month, the Biden administration on Thursday announced several new protections for LGBTQ+ youth and families, including the position of a federal coordinator to counter the massive wave of book bans across the country. President Joe Biden was scheduled later Thursday to host a Pride event at the White […]

COMMENTARY

A parents bill of rights for the rest of us

BY: - April 19, 2023

There’s no question that parenting has gotten harder in this country. Gun violence is now the leading killer of children in this country, a brutal fact made clearer with each new school shooting. Child care is out of reach for many parents, while the rising cost of college clouds the future for their kids. For many reasons, […]

COMMENTARY

Fear not education, but those trying to rob Ohio students of it

BY: - August 11, 2022

“Aristotle” has a great line that Aristotle never said or wrote: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” This misattribution to Aristotle predates the Interwebs. The earliest it appears in print is in Lowell Bennion’s 1959 book, “Religion and the Pursuit of Truth.” The […]

As the school year begins, calls for book bans begin to accelerate in Ohio

BY: - August 9, 2022

The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. With the culture war surrounding Critical Race Theory in full force in […]

COMMENTARY

GOP take note: Responsible actions ensure an enduring democracy

BY: - March 18, 2022

In President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, there was no surprise in how much emphasis he placed on the plight of Ukraine in fending off the unprovoked attack launched by Vladimir Putin. Biden’s theme was simple: We must protect democracy. In the closing part of his speech, the president said: As some observers […]