Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Schools by Ending Book Bans
Objective:
To protect students’ access to diverse perspectives, foster critical thinking, and uphold intellectual freedom by stopping the banning of books in schools and public libraries.
Problem Statement:
Book bans in schools and libraries restrict students’ right to explore a broad range of ideas and viewpoints. Censoring literature creates educational gaps, narrows understanding of history and culture, and hampers students’ critical thinking and empathy development. Banning books also disproportionately affects marginalized voices, limiting students’ access to stories reflecting diverse identities and experiences.
Policy Recommendation:
Implement a statewide policy that prohibits the banning of books in schools and public libraries. Instead, create a standardized review process that involves educators, librarians, parents, and students in decisions on literature accessibility. This approach ensures all voices are considered and that books are evaluated based on educational merit rather than subjective beliefs.
Implementation Steps:
Establish a state committee to develop criteria for reviewing challenged books, focusing on educational value and developmental appropriateness.
Provide training for educators and librarians on intellectual freedom principles and handling book challenges constructively.
Promote family engagement programs to foster discussions on complex topics, empowering parents to guide their children’s reading choices at home.
Expected Outcomes:
• Preserves students’ rights to access a diverse range of literature.
• Encourages inclusive representation and understanding of different cultures and experiences.
• Supports an educational environment that prioritizes critical thinking, empathy, and open-mindedness.
Conclusion:
Protecting intellectual freedom by halting book bans ensures that schools remain spaces of learning and exploration, where students are prepared for a diverse and interconnected world.
I totally agree! My friend told me they banned harry potter for being “satanic”. Harry Potter is about a boy who can do magic and how he has to go against a very bad wizard and save the world. It is a series of good triumphing over bad, which I feel kids should be taught in a world full of violence. I have always loved Harry Potter because as a kid it gave me the sense the a normal kid with a rough home life could find out how special they are and that despite the darkness in the world, good will win in the end so it made the world less scary.
I completely agree!! I recently saw that my favorite series Percy Jackson is getting added to the book ban list. As well as Harry Potter, Hunger games , and several other big name fantasy series. I was very disappointed. I also saw President Trumps recent video saying he was going to remove the censorship establishment. So this feels like a step in the wrong direction. The first amendment protects our rights to free speech, free press, and I believe free to protest ( as long as it is civil). Well by banning books in schools you have just removed the free press. Sure people can get their books from libraries. But I know personally that majority of the books I read while growing up were found within my school library. Furthermore, these books ( and I don’t just mean Percy Jackson, I’m referring to the hero troupe) all have underlying messages that are very powerful. In all these series the main character is either fighting against a tyrant government, or recognising how flawed their government is and seeks to change it. Removing these books from schools also means that you are removing the message. It shows that you want to take down stories that may inspire people to want to change, and I think that is an issue. As a nation we need to be open to change. I don’t think that books should be banned unless they are actively calling for aggression against a person/people, or if they are radically misinforming people. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think this is too crazy to do a screening for these things before publication. I was really happy to see the call for destruction of censorship. But this makes me less optimistic. I hope I am wrong.