FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 8, 2021
CONTACT:
Christopher Vasquez | NCLR Director of Communications
cvasquez@nclrights.org | 415-365-1337
NEW YORK, NY – The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) leads a coalition of over 400 signatories in condemning the coordinated political attack on books in schools playing out across the country. As a staunchly non-partisan organization dedicated to defending students’ right to read for nearly 50 years, NCAC is gravely concerned by the increasing number of school districts allowing the personal viewpoints of some to determine what books all students are allowed to access.
Policies already exist in most districts to allow individual concerned parents to influence what their own children read. This year, time and again, we have seen those policies ignored and repeatedly violated as books are removed without proper review based on the personal opinions of particular groups of people. We have also seen increasing reports of threats to the livelihood and safety of librarians, teachers, school administrators, and school board officials who do not accede to the demands of these would-be censors. No individual or group has the right to impose their beliefs on others. School officials, as government actors, have a First Amendment responsibility to ensure that no particular viewpoint or belief is allowed to dictate what all students can learn and read.
NCAC is joined by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) over 400 signatories, including nearly 80 organizations, over 50 bookstores, 17 publishers, and over 250 individual stakeholders, comprising authors, teachers, and librarians.
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Full statement and list of signatories available here
A media factsheet is available here
More information on the First Amendment in schools is available here
Guidelines and best practices for book challenge policies are available here
