The American Library Association (ALA) has issued a report complaining about the record number of attempted book bannings and restrictions at school and public libraries in recent years.
The report documents the growing number of challenges and their changing nature. Previously, complaints usually arose with parents and other community members and referred to an individual book. Now, the requests are often for multiple removals and are organized by national groups like Moms for Liberty, whose mission of "unifying, educating, and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government" concerns the ALA.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, calls the past two years "exhausting, frightening, [and] outrage inducing." But Diana Banister of Concerned Women for America is glad to see that parents are doing something about the ongoing effort to sexualize the nation's youth.
"They are trying to pervert and persuade young children in sexualized content that is not appropriate for young children," Banister asserts. "We're talking about elementary schools and middle schools that are having adult content in their libraries. It's time for parents to stand up and say, 'No, we will not allow this to be done in our schools.'"
As for the pornographic material in public libraries, she says that needs to be challenged by parents locally and statewide. She also commends Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida and Governor Glenn Youngkin in Virginia for having their boards of education at the state level review the content that is available in the school and public libraries for young children and teens to read.
Banister says the problem can only be solved if parents continue to band together and defend their rights.
