Impacts of Book Bans Across U.S. School Districts

The act of banning books has always been prevalent in our nation’s history and around the world.[1] This form of censorship occurs when individuals, organizations, or government officials remove public access to books to minimize or stop the exposure of their content, ideas, or themes to a group of individuals.[2]

Although the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s right to receive and express ideas, the Supreme Court recognizes that schools are vital in preparing future generations to participate as citizens. Therefore, schools should be allowed to choose what ideas children are exposed to.[3] As a result, courts generally give school boards broad discretion when managing school affairs, to allow them to teach community values throughout their curriculum.[4] Thus, school boards across the country have banned certain books from their libraries and curriculums to protect children from difficult and sensitive topics.[5]

In 1982, the Supreme Court was confronted with the issue of whether school boards could remove library books without violating the student’s First Amendment Right.[6] Considering this decision affected the education of children, schools were given discretion to remove books deemed “pervasively vulgar” or “educationally unsuitable.”[7] Without defining these terms, schools have justified their actions under these ambiguous terms.[8]

Since the beginning of book bans in U.S. school districts, a majority of the books deemed unacceptable in a school’s curriculum or library make references to sexual assault, mental health issues, issues on racism, the LGBTQ+ community, and even death.[9]

The number of banned books in the 2022-23 school year increased by 33%, when compared to the previous year.[10] This continued increase in book bans, typically instigated by parents and conservative groups across the United States, will continue to affect future generations’ experience in school and impact how they perceive the world.[11]

School districts across the United States have banned books such as a biography of Barack Obama, a nonfiction comic book addressing some of the atrocities that occurred in the Holocaust, and even a picture book about an assassinated gay rights activist.[12] While it is understandable that some parents would not be comfortable with their ten-year-old child reading about these subjects, these bans are also affecting students in middle school and high school.[13] As such, to what extent do children need to be protected and thus where should the line be drawn?

With a pattern of challenging and banning books by authors of color and LGBTQ+ authors, this is having a detrimental impact on a young person’s mental health.[14] In revoking these stories, children who identify and relate with these authors fail to be seen, heard, and valued as members of society.[15] Children, especially those who are members of a minority, are more affected by these book bans since they fail to see themselves in books and history being taught in schools.[16] Additionally, when books are banned, students will not be exposed to a broad range of ideas and experiences, and they may find it difficult to learn how to address and confront differing opinions.[17]  

Books can make stories come alive, introduce new ideas, and explain another point of view. Without them, we are constrained to see the world through a singular lens. The way we are raised, introduced to religion (or the lack thereof), familial backgrounds, and culture all affect our individual way of interpreting the world whether we consciously or subconsciously are aware of this.[18] However, books allow us to expand our perspectives past our own experiences and be introduced and understand a different point of view.[19]

With the recent spike of banned books across the United States, lawmakers on either side of the political aisle are attempting to make changes. In March 1, 2023 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Parents Bill of Rights, which would define the role and rights of parents in public school.[20] The bill proposes that parents have a right to know what their children are being taught, to be heard, to see school budgets and spending, to protect their children’s privacy, and to keep their children safe.[21] Around June 2023, the White House also announced a new coordinator to counter the massive wave of book bans across the country, who is assigned to work with school districts and prevent book bans that target specific communities.[22]

While history and society around the world, and in the U.S., involves a variety of sensitive topics, the act of banning books from the school curriculum and libraries has a negative effect on the quality of education students receive.[23] It is because of the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment that communities can expose the new generation to important perspectives that create the culturally pluralistic society we currently live in.[24]

Should books continue to be banned from the school curriculum and libraries, our future leaders may struggle to understand what their ancestors went through to fight for their freedom. Regardless of their race, background, sex, or ethnicity, everyone has had important experiences and life events that made them who they are and shaped the world they live in. In censoring these stories now because some feel that our children should not be exposed to certain topics, this country will fail to move forward.

[1] Bannings and Burnings in History, FREEDOM TO READ (Feb. 3, 2021), https://www.freedomtoread.ca/resources/bannings-and-burnings-in-history/.

[2] Elyla Huertas, Banning Books Is An Act of Censorship And It Can Take Many Forms, ACLU N.J. (Sept. 5, 2023, 11:00 AM), https://www.aclu-nj.org/en/news/banning-books-act-censorship-and-it-can-take-many-forms-heres-how-spot-it.

[3] Ambach v. Norwick, 441 U.S. 68, 76 (1979).

[4] Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 402 (1923).

[5] The Learning Network, What Students Are Saying About Banning Books from School Libraries, N.Y. Times (Feb. 18, 2022), https://nytimes.com/2022/02/18/learning/students-book-bans.html.

[6] Bd. of Educ. v. Pica, 457 U.S. 853, 871 (1982).

[7] Id.

[8] Id.

[9] Nadra Nittle, Book Bans in Schools Jumped 33 Percent Last Year, THE 19TH (Oct. 6, 2023, 9:46 AM), https://19thnews.org/2023/10/book-bans-in-schools-up-33-percent-2023/.

[10] Id.

[11] Kiara Alfonseca, How Conservative and Liberal Book Bans Differ Amid Rise in Literary Restrictions, ABC NEWS (Jan. 12, 2023, 2:08 AM), https://abcnews.go.com/US/conservative-liberal-book-bans-differ-amid-rise-literary/story?id=96267846.

[12] Ariana Figueroa, LGBTQ Community, People of Color in the Crosshairs of Banned Book Movement, N.J. MONITOR (Apr. 18, 2022, 6:50 AM), https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/04/18/lgbtq-community-people-of-color-in-the-crosshairs-of-banned-book-movement/.

[13] Ella Creamer, ‘Eating Away At Democracy’: Book Bans In US Public Schools Rise By A Third In A Year, THE GUARDIAN (Sept. 22, 2023, 10:37 AM), https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/sep/22/democracy-book-bans-us-public-schools-rise.

[14] John Shumway, The Impact Book Bans Can Have on Youth Mental Health, CBS News (Nov. 1, 2023, 4:49 AM), https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/the-impact-book-bans-can-have-on-youth-mental-health/#:~:text=Bashe%20of%20New%20Directions%20Mental,the%20world%20like%20you%20do.

[15] Book Bans and Their Impact on Young People and Society, ADL (Jan. 12, 2022), https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/book-bans-and-their-impact-young-people-and-society?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8NKtBhBtEiwAq5aX2J_9KzCkBAE1u9TRkHR5SkCdbM_lA3-siuaWzVVDhJuZPr4ETZRr8RoCwNMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds.

[16] Id.

[17] Sigy George, Silenced Voices: Ripples of Book Ban, INFORMATION MATTERS (Oct. 12, 2023), https://informationmatters.org/2023/10/silenced-voices-ripples-of-book-ban/.

[18] Maanvi Singh, Some Early Childhood Experiences Shape Adult Life, But Which Ones?, NPR (Dec. 19, 2014, 10:47 AM), https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/12/19/371679655/some-early-childhood-experiences-shape-adult-life-but-which.

[19] What You Need to Know About the Book Bans Sweeping the U.S., Tchrs. Coll. Columbia Univ. (Sept. 6, 2023), https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2023/september/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-book-bans-sweeping-the-us/#:~:text=%E2%80%9C%5BBook%20bans%5D%20diminish%20the,s%2C%20Professor%20of%20Education%20Leadership.

[20] Parental Rights: Existing Law and Established Boundaries, Cal. Sch. Bds. Ass’n (Apr. 21, 2023), https://publications.csba.org/california-school-news/april-2023/parental-rights-existing-law-and-established-boundaries/.

[21] Id.

[22] Ariana Figueroa, White House to Name Coordinator to Push Back Against Book Bans, Among New LGBTQ Protections, Mo. Independent (June 8, 2023, 1:23 PM), https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/white-house-to-name-coordinator-to-push-back-against-book-bans-among-new-lgbtq-protections/.

[23] What You Need to Know, supra note 19.

[24] Nittle, supra note 9.