Book Banning is Not a Hoax… In Utah, it’s a Crisis!
This week: More book bans in Utah. Students prohibited from bringing their own books to school. Trump administration declares book bans “a hoax”
————————————————————
Book Banning is Not a Hoax -- it’s a Crisis!
Four days into Donald Trump’s second term, he has taken a stance on book-banning. On January 24, 2025, President Trump instructed the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to rescind all department guidance regarding book-bans. Calling book banning a hoax, the Acting Assistant Secretary for OCR issued a statement that the department is “beginning the process of restoring the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children’s education.” In addition to rescinding all department guidance, the OCR is also dismissing 11 complaints related to book-banning and six pending allegations. The Office is also removing the position of a “book ban coordinator” to investigate local school districts and book bans. Sadly, the OCR can no longer be relied on to hold school districts accountable for discriminatory book banning as they did in a Forsyth (GA) Consent Decree in May, 2023.
The Trump administration has framed book banning as a hoax, but this is categorically untrue. Since 2021, states across the nation have begun to legislate book-banning under the guise of protecting children from “indoctrination” or claiming certain books have content inappropriate for schools. This legislation has resulted in a surge of books being taken off of library shelves, and it is only getting worse. PEN America reported that the 2023 - 2024 school year had the highest instances of book bannings and the highest number of unique titles of any school year yet. Almost half of the titles targeted for banning were those representing the voices or lived experiences of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals.
Utah’s Statewide “No Read” Banned Books List Adds a 15 and 16th Title
Utah has also been a part of this trend and passed its own book-banning law in 2022. Utah recently added “Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold and “Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian to the state-wide banned book list, bringing the total books banned in all public schools to 16. All but two of the authors on Utah’s state-wide banned book list are women. In addition to banning another book, the Utah State Board of Education also revised their guidance on students bringing their own copies of banned books onto school property. The State Board issued updated guidance on January 15 of this year, stating that books banned at the state level or at the local level are not permitted to be on school property, even if the student brings their own copy.
Together We Can Stop Book Banning. Speak Up Today!
Book-banning is not a hoax. It is real and happening all over the country, with book bans being reported in more than 50% of states. Despite the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil Rights’ statement, there is no fundamental right for a few parents to direct the education of all children. There is, however, a fundamental right to free speech. Book banning is censorship, and censorship is fundamentally in contravention to our constitutional rights. Our children deserve the opportunity to access stories about all kinds of people, all kinds of communities, and all kinds of lived experiences.
As the list of books being banned continues to grow, it is important to continue to make our voices heard. Parents and other concerned citizens can reach out to the Utah State Board of Education to share their concerns and advocate against banning books. In addition, the Utah Legislative session started last week. While there are currently no bills proposing further changes to the Sensitive Instructional Materials law, it is imperative that citizens keep an eye on bills as they come out. The best way to fight back against censorship is to stay informed and stay active. Keeping an eye on bills thay impact libraries and the freedom to read and keeping in contact with your state legislators helps ensure our voices are heard. The best protection for our children is knowledge, and knowledge can’t be gained through censorship.
