Missouri Court Strikes Down 2022 Law that Pulled Library Books Off Shelves | Missouri Independent
A law creating a misdemeanor offense for school employees who supply “sexually explicit material” to students is now void.

Tennessee Secretary of State Orders “Age-Appropriateness Review” of Library Books | Nashville Scene
Tennessee public libraries are launching an “immediate age-appropriateness review” of children’s and teens’ books following a state government directive, with some calling the plan “anti-public-library.” Librarians are “horrified” as hundreds of books are at risk of removal during temporary library closures.

NJ District School Superintendent Assures Residents: No Permission Slips Required for Library Books | WHYY
The Cherry Hill, NJ, superintendent addressed a memo that discussed requiring parental permission for students to access content deemed sensitive.

Massachusetts Anti–Book Ban Bill Passes Senate, Moves to House | WWLP
The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill aimed at preventing book bans, requiring public and school committee hearings for any book removal from school libraries. With the Senate’s approval, the bill aims to safeguard diverse narratives in school libraries and uphold free expression, pending further approval from the House.

The bill, which has garnered support due to concerns over the disproportionate banning of books featuring characters who are people of color or LGBTQIA+, sets specific criteria for book removal and aims to protect free expression.

As a New Texas Law Clamps Down on School Libraries, “Librotraficantes” Fight Back | Reporting Texas
The Librotraficantes movement began in 2012, when Tony Diaz, a Houston-based writer, professor, media personality, and longtime activist for ethnic studies, organized a caravan to bring banned books back into classrooms in Arizona after the state eliminated Mexican American studies programs.

“At the end of the day we have to support underground libraries to make sure these voices are heard,” Diaz said. “We are experts at fighting book bans and the fact that we still have to be doing this tells you exactly what kind of movement we’re in.”

Nevada County Schools Scrap Plan To Give Superintendent Book Censorship Powers | The Daily Indy
The Clark County (NV) School District is no longer considering a proposed regulation change that would allow the superintendent to pull a book from all school libraries if she considers it to “pose an imminent danger to students.” 

The now-scrapped proposal would have allowed Superintendent Jhone Ebert to bypass the district’s current process for challenging books, which gives school-based committees made up of teachers, librarians, administrators, and parents the power to make decisions on books being challenged by the public. A draft of the proposed language did not include any opportunity to provide input or appeal the superintendent’s decision.

Colorado District Teachers Protest Book Ban Proposal | Fox21
More than a hundred people gathered in Colorado Springs, CO, to protest a proposed policy that could affect which books are allowed in Colorado Springs School District 11 libraries.

As Book Bans Spike, Public and School Librarians in North Carolina County Juggle Divergent Challenges | INDY Week
New policies have helped keep Wake County, NC, public libraries resilient against censorship, but book challenges continue to have a chilling effect in classrooms and other community spaces.