Episode 167: They Banned The Dictionary, And Other Wild Book Ban Updates

When a school district pulls 1,600 titles—including the dictionary—you know the fight over books is about more than pages on a shelf. I update you on the latest in the fast-changing world of K-12 book bans, the rise of state-level Freedom to Read laws, and the real-world impact on students, families, and the librarians tasked with navigating it all. Along the way, I unpack surprising parent survey data, eye-opening court rulings, and the hidden mechanics of how school libraries choose, fund, and defend their collections.

I start with clarity: which states have passed protections, what these laws actually require, and why some districts still default to removals. From there, I trace legal whiplash that leaves educators cautious and kids with fewer choices. Then I step behind the circulation desk to show how librarians vet titles through professional reviews, committee approvals, and district sign-offs—despite shrinking budgets, sparse state aid, and entire schools with no librarian at all. The picture is stark: unequal access means millions of students, especially in high-poverty and majority-minority districts, miss the literacy boosts and research skills that strong libraries deliver.

Parents aren’t a monolith. Large majorities trust librarians to select age-appropriate materials, yet many still want clearer permissions and notifications. That tension fuels a chilling effect that shapes what gets purchased, displayed, or quietly avoided. I offer a path forward that swaps bans for trust-building: six practical moves to make libraries welcoming, diverse, curriculum-connected, community-partnered, and advocacy-ready. I also share classroom strategies for courageous conversations that teach students to listen, question, and hold complexity without shutting down inquiry.

If you care about literacy, equity, and the freedom to read, this conversation brings together the policy, the data, and the everyday solutions. Listen, share with a friend, and tell me what values you want your school to champion. If this resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on to someone who needs to hear it.

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Transcript

Framing The Book Ban Debate

States Pass Freedom To Read Laws

What These Laws Actually Do

Court Battles And Legal Whiplash

Book Banning Gone Wild

How School Libraries Really Operate

Funding Gaps And Unequal Access

Librarians’ Credentials And Constraints

The Chilling Effect On Purchases

Librarians Organize And Resist

Six Ways To Build Joyful Libraries

What Parents Actually Think

Values, Trust, And Classroom Dialogue

Recap And Closing Invitations

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Welcome to another episode of K-12 Public Education Insights, Empowering Parents of Color Podcast. The podcast that converges at the intersection of educational research and parental actions. It's about making the trends, topics, and theories in public education understandable so that you can implement them into practical, actionable strategies that work for your children. My name is Dr. Kim J. Fields, former corporate manager, current education researcher, and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as experiencing the microaggressions that I faced as an African-American mom raising my two kids who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed, I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their educational progress. This battle-tested experience is what I provide as action steps for you to take. It's like enjoying a bowl of educational research with a sprinkling of motherwood wisdom on top. If you're looking to find out more about the current information and issues in education that could affect you or your children, and the action steps you can take to give your children the advantages they need, then you're in the right place. Thanks for tuning in today. I know that staying informed about K-12 public education trends and topics is important to you, so keep listening. Give me 30 minutes or less, and I'll provide insights on the latest trends, issues, and topics pertaining to this constantly evolving K-12 public education environment. Will the discussions about book bans never end? Apparently not. I have addressed book bands previously in episodes 69 and 159, so be sure to check those out for detailed background discussion. But in this episode, I provide an update as to whether states that ban book bands are actually seeing progress, as well as the extremes that some districts go to to ban books, the impact on school librarians from book bands, and how parents feel about book bands. Let's gain some insight on this. At least eight states are trying to crack down on attempts to remove books in school libraries by passing legislation that gives librarians more leeway in selecting reading materials, sets up formal processes for responding to challenges, and bars schools from pulling books from the shelves based on ideological reasons alone. This legislation has been called Freedom to Read Laws by supporters, and it has emerged over the last two years in a response to the growing number of challenges to books for content related to race and LGBTQ plus issues in the post-pandemic period. The policies have been passed in California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Washington, and they vary by jurisdiction, but most indicate that books cannot be excluded from a public school library based solely on the background or views of the author. Additionally, the books cannot be removed due to partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval. The laws require schools to create and enforce a policy for responding to challenges from teachers, parents, or students. That includes the input of library staff and school and district leadership. To date, most of the legislation has not been tested, and it's unclear as to what effect it will have on the broader political landscape that is now shaping the content of school libraries. The short-term goal of the law is that it raises the bar for book removal and discourages challenges that rest primarily on identity-based objections. These freedom to read laws are designed to maintain access to books for students. The legislation would ensure that districts follow a strict standard procedure in reviewing books that have been challenged. For example, some of the laws require that the challenged books stay on the shelves while the review process is underway rather than being pulled immediately. And just to give you a perspective on the number of books being banned, in the 2023-2024 school year, more than 10,000 books had been removed at least temporarily from public schools, according to data from Penn America. Florida leads the nation in book challenges, followed by Texas and Tennessee. Jonathan Butcher, who is the acting director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, which is a conservative group that is advocating against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in schools. He indicates that the freedom to read laws stripped students, families, and other adults in the school community of their prerogative to make decisions about what counts as appropriate reading material for their children. Two years ago, a federal appeals court reinstated an Iowa law that bans books depicting sex acts from school libraries and barred instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation through the sixth grade. The lawsuit stated that the entire provision led public schools to remove such works as Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Richard Wright's Native Son, and Tony Morrison's Beloved and The Bluest Eye. Iowa school districts have had sharply divergent reactions as to which books should be removed and have tended to err on the side of removal. That victory by the Federal Appeals Court ensured age-appropriate books and curriculum in school classrooms and libraries. The win meant that parents would no longer have to fear what their children had access to in schools when they're not around. The court rejected the state's claim that banning books in libraries is a form of protected government speech. A federal appeals court, in the meanwhile, in 2025, rejected a challenge to book removals in a Texas public library and overruled a precedent on school library cases. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans ruled that the library's decision to remove books may not be challenged under the First Amendment based on the library user's right to receive information. This decision appears to apply equally to public libraries and school libraries in the three states in the Fifth Circuit. Those states are Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Now this is an example of book banning gone wild. One school district in Florida just pulled sixteen hundred books from its library shelves, including the dictionary. Dictionaries have long been considered an indispensable part of any classroom or school library as both a reliable reference for inquisitive students and a teaching tool to expand vocabulary and comprehension. Of the remaining books from that 1600 collection, those books are under review to determine whether they comply with a recently passed Florida bill, which calls for increasing school district transparency and accountability for selecting and using instructional materials and library materials. One portion of the bill allows members of the public to formally object to specific materials that depict or describe sexual conduct, which the dictionary does not do. Book banning not only has a negative impact on student learning experiences, but it also takes a toll on teachers because they struggle to decipher what they can and cannot teach or even possess in their classrooms. Central York School District in Pennsylvania recently reversed its decision about a controversial teaching ban that targeted creators of color after escalating protests from students, parents, and teachers. The thing is that banning books doesn't really harm the authors. In fact, it often results in a boost in sales for them, but it can be harmful to students who don't get the chance to read these books that are written by diverse authors. Let's dive a little bit into the details of how school libraries buy books, how they struggle for funds, and how they confront book bands. School librarians typically have to follow rigorous processes for acquiring new books. School libraries have accounted for a shrinking portion of school budgets over time with millions of students who attend schools without a librarian at all. School librarians may also be known as media specialists, and even that role has become less and less common. Most school districts have detailed policies governing their library collections, and these policies require librarians to undergo several time-consuming steps before purchasing a book. They must read existing professional reviews of potential new purchases in peer-reviewed journals like Book List, School Library Journal, and Horn Book. In some instances, they are required to consult with advisory committees that include teachers, administrators, and parents. And many times, a school administrator or someone at the district level must give the final go-ahead. Nearly every state requires school librarians to have a teaching license, and more than 20 states require school librarians to have a master's degree, often in library science or school library media. More than half the states in this country require school librarians to pass a praxis exam. As far as funding goes, some states provide direct funding each year for school libraries. Other states provide more sporadic forms of financial support, like grant programs that its district can apply for, or funds that can be used for libraries as well as curriculum materials and other priorities. 35 states provide no direct aid for school libraries. Instead, those school libraries rely solely on state funds that can be spent on anything, or on district funds that can be allocated in a variety of ways. Some school districts direct aid to each school library, while others leave those decisions to individual principals, which can mean one school has a flourishing library while another school two miles away has no access to resources or lacks a library altogether. The reality is that even when districts require schools to invest in libraries, principals don't always follow through. As with any overall school funding, the federal government contributes the smallest share to school libraries. Some states fund libraries with the help of a federal program called the Library Services and Technology Act, but this program provides money for libraries of all kinds, including public libraries and university collections. During the 2020-2021 school year, more than 10% of America's public K-12 students, and that comprises about 5.6 million children, attended school districts that didn't employ any librarians to manage the catalog and help students navigate available resources. Districts where majority of students were students of color, high poverty districts, rural districts, and small districts were all more likely to have no library. Only 10 states required public schools to have librarians, and only six of those states specify staffing levels per number of students. Thirteen states have a state employee whose exclusive job is working with or overseeing school libraries, and another 21 states employ someone who works with school libraries as part of their broader responsibilities. 17 states have no such official focused on libraries either part-time or full-time. Now let's put these numbers in perspective. Districts buy individual books from vendors as well as collections from publishers. Hardcover books generally cost between$18 and$27 based on last year's figures, and paperback books cost between$8.50 and$10 each. Here's an example. In 2023, the 1800 student Pittsgrove District in New Jersey budgeted roughly$10,000 or$5.55 per student on library books of its$30 million operating budget. It spent roughly the same amount on ebooks and audiobooks. The total amount spent on library books year over year is a minimal part of the district's budget. Just like teachers, school librarians spent a lot of their own money for library needs. Collections from book fairs and community donations are often essential tools for librarians to raise money to refresh collections or upgrade supplies, although schools that have a large amount of low-income students are less likely to generate substantial revenue from book fairs compared to higher wealth communities. Librarians indicate that they spend between$500 and$1,000 of their own money each year for various library supplies. Because some of the nation's largest school districts lack librarians on most of their campuses, many students in urban schools do not have access to the school library during their entire K-12 educational career. The problem with this is that these are the same kids that are going out and competing in colleges and for jobs with a lot of other suburban children who come from wealthy schools that have all the necessary resources. Research has shown that robust school libraries can improve students' reading skills, raise test scores, and spark a lifelong love of reading. They can also provide crucial resources for English language learners. The Federal Rights to Read Act, proposed by Democrats in the Senate and the House last fall, aimed to invest$600 million in school libraries nationwide, but it has not gained traction on Capitol Hill. The chilling effect of book bans means that if a librarian is worried that a book might be challenged or that they lose a book because it goes through a challenge, or even someone steals a book from the library, they face a dilemma. Do they spend their very small budget or even non-existent budget on materials that may face a challenge? Or do they take the safe route and not purchase the book at all? Some school librarians are fighting back against efforts to ban books in schools. Outraged that the parents and politicians who are trying to stop students from reading school library books, they denounced as inappropriate or even pornographic, a band of Texas school librarians is fighting back. Four librarians there formed freedom fighters, spelled F-R-E-A-D-O-M Fighters, to resist what they call a war on books. These freedom fighters are part of a larger movement of teachers, students, authors, and parents who are resisting efforts in Texas and elsewhere to purge certain books from schools. School librarians cannot control book bands, but they can make the school library a place of joy. There are six practices that librarians can implement to make the school library worthwhile. One, create a welcoming environment. Make the school library a place where all voices are heard and welcomed. An oasis of acceptance and equitable access. Two, provide a rich variety of texts like printed books, ebooks, audiobooks, and large print format books. Three, connect to the curriculum. If the school district has decided to focus on STEM curricula, the library should have resources available that focus on those initiatives. Centered programming. The library should be a place where students can explore personal ideas and pursuits like book clubs, crochet groups, chess clubs, service-based learning opportunities, and independent study. Five, collaborate with outside organizations. This makes the school library more appealing to students because it can partner with public libraries, nonprofits, higher education institutions, bookstores, publishers, authors, and more. And six, share advocacy resources. Like information about advocacy organizations like Pen America and hashtag Unite Against BookBand efforts from the American Library Association. In this era of book bands, schools and their libraries need as many voices as possible to speak up for the freedom to read and the joy it brings to students as well as teachers. I'm sure you have your own thoughts about book bands overall, but what do other parents think? According to a recent national survey on parent attitudes towards school libraries, a large majority of parents trust school librarians to choose appropriate books for the collections they oversee as well as recommending age-appropriate materials to children. Over 60% of parents said outright that book bans infringe on their rights to make decisions for their children. At the same time, most parents think school libraries should require parent permission before children check out certain books, and they think there should be age restrictions on certain materials. In addition, a small portion of parents think school librarians should face criminal consequences for granting children access to certain content. So is book banning a parental rights issue, a parental control issue, or just a parental concern? You decide. This survey that I'm addressing that was a national survey on parent attitudes towards school libraries, was conducted in December 2023, and the results indicated that 82% of parents trust school librarians to recommend age-appropriate books for their children, and 80% trust librarians to select appropriate materials for school libraries. The majority of the respondents, that would be 86%, also said that their child has never checked out a book that made them uncomfortable, and 85% said their child has never checked out a book that made the child uncomfortable. The survey also revealed that some parents would like to see school library operations subjected to more regulation. 16% of respondents said that they believe school librarians should be arrested for giving children access to certain books. Now, this just reflects the culture in this country right now, where politicians, elected officials, and leaders in the community are saying that educators are somehow engaged in criminal behavior. Come on now. Further, 60% of these parent respondents indicated that school libraries should restrict access to books by age or require parental permission for students to check out a book. And 57% said that parents should receive notifications when their child checks out a book. Interestingly, over half of the respondents said that parents should be able to opt their child out of accessing the school library. And 38% would like to see schools require that a parent sign a permission slip before their children can access the school library. Well, although the majority of parents felt that book bans infringe on their rights, one-third of the survey respondents said they would ask that a book be removed from a school library if it made them or their child feel uncomfortable. Parents were the most uncomfortable with children's books about LGBTQ characters and themes, with 37% saying they were not comfortable with that topic. 25% of the respondents said they were not comfortable with children's books about puberty and sex education. 20% said they were not comfortable with books for children about race and racism. And 16% said they were not comfortable with children's books about social justice. So my question is: what topics were these parents comfortable with? Now, what can you do with the information I just shared about states banning book bans and the role that school librarians and school libraries play in the community? Here are the action steps you can take regarding this topic. Maybe the conversation about which books to keep and which ones to ban is the wrong conversation. The real questions in this conversation should be what do you value about education? How can you equip teachers, administrators, school boards, and librarians to report those values in the work they do? Productive conversations in the classrooms should involve our deepest values presented with data-backed, critical analyses, and perspectives. What if educators focused on building trust instead of banning books? They could facilitate conversations in the classroom in thoughtful ways that focused on curiosity, structured speaking and active listening, and carefully craft questions that are rooted in core values and experiences, hopes and hesitations. This approach would allow students to encounter course materials and each other with the kinds of complexity and empathy that the usual surface conversations neglect. Based on practical experience, students who practice properly structured conversations in classrooms are more willing to speak up in class. They are also more resilient when listening to something that goes against a deeply held belief or worldview. They become more aware of the origins of their own beliefs and they learn the core content better. But this type of conversation has to be normalized. For example, teachers might approach issues like race or racism by asking students about the time they felt they belonged or when they felt like they were on the outside and were misrepresented. What do those students want other people to know about their experiences? How might their stories relate to course materials? This approach allows students to consider bigger issues in new ways that aren't necessarily represented in the curriculum, but which can clarify their own positions in classroom dialogue. So forget about book bans because you can always start your own book club with other parents and children about reading the books that have been banned. More to the point, are you ready to have a conversation with your children's teachers about courageous conversations in the classroom? These are definitive ways to build understanding, empathy, and trust with fellow classmates as well as the school community. At least eight states are trying to crack down on attempts to remove books from school libraries by passing legislation that gives librarians more leeway in selecting reading materials, sets up formal processes for responding to challenges, and bars schools from pulling books from the shelves based on ideological reasons alone. School librarians typically have to follow rigorous processes for acquiring new books. School libraries have accounted for a shrinking portion of school budgets over time, with millions of students who attend schools without a librarian at all. School librarians may also be known as media specialists, and even that role has become less and less common. During the 2020-2021 school year, more than 10% of America's public K-12 students, that would comprise at least 5.6 million children, attended school districts that didn't employ any librarians to manage the catalog and help students navigate available resources. Districts where the majority of children were children of color, high poverty districts, rural districts, and small districts were all more likely to have no library. According to a recent national survey on parent attitudes towards school libraries, a large majority of parents trust school librarians to choose appropriate books for the collections they oversee, as well as recommending age-appropriate materials to children. Over 60% of parents say that outright book bans infringe on their rights to make decisions for their children. Maybe the conversation about which books to keep and which ones to ban is the wrong conversation. The real questions in this conversation should be: what do you value about education? How can you equip teachers, administrators, school boards, and librarians to report those values in the work they do? Productive conversations in the classroom should involve our deepest values presented with data-backed critical analyses and perspectives. Did you enjoy this episode? Then do me a favor and text your friends or family right now about my show. Let them know that you have a podcast recommendation for them to take a listen to and encourage them to listen to my show and to get back to you with what they thought about the show. If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to another episode for my catalog? It could take as little as 15 minutes of your day. And remember, new episodes come out every Tuesday. Thanks for listening today. Be sure to come back for more insights on K 12 educational topics that impact you and your children. Until next time, learn something new every day.