“Book Banning, Curriculum Restrictions, and the Politicization of U.S. Schools.”

Notes

At least 17 states have introduced bills containing gag orders or have taken steps that would restrict how teachers can discuss American history and current events, including banning books from libraries for “divisive concepts”—which nearly always means referring to issues about race or identity.
- Educational gag order → a law/policy/bill that limits the teaching of certain topics in school, including race, gender, and/or American history.
Actions to ban books simply because they address issues deemed as controversial have led to students standing up for their civil rights. For example, young adults in Delaware began submitting stories of their experiences with overt and systemic racism.
Overall, education should not be a political argument; books shouldn’t be banned because you disagree with the content. In fact, books should have differing perspectives on issues so students can do their own research and figure out what they want their beliefs align to, rather than only having one perspective on a topic.