Duval County voted 6-1 last night to revise their policy and allow them to appoint community members (instead of parents of impacted students) to the book review committee. Articles are not online yet, but First Coast News shared this to their Instagram: www.instagram.com/reel/DbqOSEe...

First Coast News on Instagram: "The Duval County School Board voted to change policies for the Material Review Committee, allowing each board member to appoint a community member for the committee. Cl...

7 likes, 1 comments - firstcoastnews on August 5, 2026: "The Duval County School Board voted to change policies for the Material Review Committee, allowing each board member to appoint a community mem...

instagram.com

Teachers rarely hear from parents who support intellectual freedom. A kind, respectful message reminds them they have allies in the community. A simple email can go a long way. #FreedomToRead #RightToRead #SupportTeachers #Libraries #Education

More than 2 out of every 3 book challenges ended in removal in 2025. According to the ALA, 66% of challenged books were ultimately banned, the highest rate since tracking began in 1990. When review becomes removal, students lose access to diverse ideas. #FreedomToRead

Good news for Sunday morning: Hernando residents spoke up and successfully saved their local public library from closure (for now). From the article… www.tampabay.com/news/hernand...

A Tampa Bay area library was set to be closed. Residents spoke up and saved it

But county commissioners and staff are still looking for budget cuts ahead of a November referendum that could lead to less money coming in.

tampabay.com

State Property Tax Cuts Will Decimate Libraries. Up to 13 different US states are considering tax reforms that would decimate local public goods, including public libraries. bookriot.com/state-proper...

State Property Tax Cuts Will Decimate Libraries: Book Censorship News, July 31, 2026

Up to 13 different US states are considering tax reforms that would decimate local public goods, including public libraries.

bookriot.com

There are multiple courts wrestling with the “government speech” argument right now when it comes to our schools and libraries. Do we have the freedom to share and receive ideas within the walls of a school or library without the government first endorsing those ideas? www.slj.com/story/Update...

Updates on Book Ban Court Cases in Florida, Oregon, and Colorado | Censorship News

In book censorship-related legal cases—the Escambia County School Board in Florida has asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to rule against its subpoenas; the Ninth Circuit ruled for an Oregon scho...

slj.com

BOOK BAN BILL THREAD FOR JULY 27. The House is not currently in session. Representatives are spending the next month working in their own home districts. What does this mean? We won't see action on three of the federal-level book ban bills. That also means go see these people IRL if you can.

Get to know the National Book Rating Index, BookLens, RatedBooks, and more tools being used to ban books across US schools and libraries. Y'all, pay attention to these–and pay close attention to the latest project from Take Back the Classroom. bookriot.com/tools-used-b...

The Tools Book Banners Are Using to Target Books in 2026: Book Censorship News, July 24, 2026

Get to know the National Book Rating Index, BookLens, RatedBooks, and more tools being used to ban books across US schools and libraries.

bookriot.com

It seems the “maybe we don’t need libraries at the secondary level” discussion during a Clay County meeting last month is finally getting some attention thanks to @douglassoule.bsky.social and the WUSF report he ran last week. Below is our thread from last month. www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

What comes after book bans? One school district questions traditional libraries

After removing hundreds of books, Clay County is debating the purpose of high school libraries. School officials called it modernization. Critics see it as the next phase of the book debate targeting ...

wusf.org

Florida Freedom to Read Project@flfreedomread.bsky.social · last mo.

On June 16, the Clay School Board held a workshop where the district’s Chief Academic Officer gave an update on the book objections and purchasing status in the libraries. www.youtube.com/live/qanR2ue...

Student journalists wrote this article. “Administrators owe it to their students to support a culture of free expression, and high schoolers need to keep contributing to that culture by saying what they think….

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 2w ago

“School is meant to prepare students for the real world, but too many institutions are training kids to be silent,” the student-newspaper editors at Georgetown Day School, Annabelle Garland, Jacob Blane, and Sam Gross, argue:

What makes a strong school library? It's more than books. They're built through professional collection development, age-appropriate materials, diverse viewpoints, parental involvement & transparent review processes that serve every student. www.freedomtoreadproject.org/what_makes_a...

What Makes a Strong School Library?

Strong school libraries rely on professional curation, diverse viewpoints, parental choice, and transparent processes that foster literacy, critical thinking, and student success.

freedomtoreadproject.org

This article now has a companion podcast interview with the journalist that did the reporting. You can listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

Is the Age of Reading Over?

Podcast Episode · Radio Atlantic · July 23 · 30m

podcasts.apple.com

Florida Freedom to Read Project@flfreedomread.bsky.social · 4w ago

“Eventually, the challenges of maintaining the library became greater than the will to preserve it….The fact that the library was allowed to die showed that the dark age had already arrived.” Multiple FL districts have $0 set aside for library books next year. Others are “repurposing” the space.

Another appeal for a Florida book ban lawsuit was heard in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday. The elected Escambia School Board was asking the court to allow them to avoid deposition that could force them to explain their votes to remove books. www.courthousenews.com/florida-scho...

Florida school board asks 11th Circuit to block subpoenas over book ban

Escambia County School Board members argue that the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries was a legislative decision, not an administrative one.

courthousenews.com

THE LOVELY BONES is a powerful exploration of grief, love, trauma & healing. It invites readers to grapple with difficult realities while honoring the resilience of those left behind. Books that tackle painful subjects are opportunities for empathy, reflection & conversation.

Education laws don't appear overnight. They move through a series of steps: from an idea, to committee hearings, to legislative votes, to the president’s or governor's desk, and finally to implementation by state agencies and local school districts.

“… it includes excerpts from the Bible. It puts a focus on classic texts, often written by white and male authors, stirring debate about what qualifies as essential literature in a highly diverse state.”

Texas Book List: See What Students Will Be Required to Read (Gift Article)

What is essential reading? Texas has an answer: Classics, including the Bible.

nytimes.com

You'll be shocked to learn the secret was ACCESS. ACCESS is the thing. This is why removing access to books is key to fascism. Key to Christian nationalism. Media literacy in this experiment was a bonus. Revoking ACCESS is why we have a literacy crisis. Democracy, paywalls, etc etc.

News Literacy Project@newslit.org · 2w ago

"Exposure to a quality newspaper not only increased media literacy & news knowledge, it developed the habit of reading newspapers & seeking multiple sources of news." #NewsLiteracy

Republican Senators have introduced a nationwide book ban bill in the Senate, S. 4925 and it's a warning of their summer plans. Here's what the bill is, what it does, and how you can take action now. The bill is in the Senate HELP committee. bookriot.com/senate-bill-...

Republican Senators Introduce Nationwide Book Ban Companion Bill, S. 4925

Republican Senators have introduced a nationwide book ban bill in the Senate, S. 4925 and it's a warning of their summer plans.

bookriot.com

"Don't join the book burners." These words from President Dwight D. Eisenhower are just as relevant today. We don't preserve democracy by hiding difficult history or silencing ideas, we strengthen it by confronting them. The freedom to read protects our freedom to learn. #FreedomToRead

A powerful, sobering look at the ripple effects of book banning, courtesy of @freedomreadproject.bsky.social. Scroll to the bottom for a list of ways you can speak up and advocate for your community!

When One Objection Becomes Everyone’s Problem

One person's book objection can ripple far beyond their own community, shaping access across districts or states. Protect local voices by voting, speaking up, and advocating for community-centered…

freedomtoreadproject.org

A “temporary” book removal can last months or even years. And when books are kept off shelves during delayed reviews, their circulation drops through no fault of student interest. Our newest article explains how this happens and why it matters. www.freedomtoreadproject.org/when_tempora...

When "Temporary" Becomes Permanent: How Delayed Reviews Turn Into Quiet Book Removals

Delayed book reviews manufacture low circulation, enabling controversial books to be quietly removed through routine weeding rather than transparent censorship.

freedomtoreadproject.org

NEW! Republican Senators Introduce Nationwide Book Ban Companion Bill, S. 4925 This is their companion bill to HR 7616, indicating how seriously they want to ram this legislation through–and without you knowing it. bookriot.com/senate-bill-...

Republican Senators Introduce Nationwide Book Ban Companion Bill, S. 4925

Republican Senators have introduced a nationwide book ban bill in the Senate, S. 4925 and it's a warning of their summer plans.

bookriot.com

After removing hundreds of books, a Florida school district is debating the purpose of high school libraries. School officials called it modernization. Critics see it as the next phase of the book debate targeting fiction books. www.wusf.org/politics-iss...

What comes after book bans? Some Florida school officials are questioning traditional libraries

After removing hundreds of books, a Florida school district is debating the purpose of high school libraries. School officials called it modernization. Critics see it as the next phase of the book deb...

wusf.org

THEY CALLED US ENEMY by George Takei is a powerful graphic memoir about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. When nonfiction books like this are removed from school libraries, students lose access to firsthand history & the chance to learn from our nation's past.

The FLDOE is set to approve amendments which include references to HB 7 (Stop WOKE) in course requirements for teacher education programs and the Phoenix Declaration in professional responsibilities. You can leave a public comment now through the meeting on the 22nd. flrules.org/gateway/View...

School board elections matter & so do the questions we ask. Whether you're attending a candidate forum, meeting candidates in your community, or sending an email, asking thoughtful questions about the freedom to read can help voters better understand where candidates stand on the freedom to read.

This is not a coincidence. When stories representing marginalized communities are disproportionately targeted, students lose access to perspectives that foster empathy, understanding, and belonging. Every reader deserves to see themselves (and others) reflected on library shelves.

"The culture war over books." This label obscures what's really happening. Book censorship isn't simply a political disagreement, it's about protecting the freedom to access ideas in publicly funded schools and libraries without viewpoint discrimination. www.freedomtoreadproject.org/stop_calling...

Stop Calling Book Banning a "Culture War"

Book censorship isn't a culture war. It's about protecting First Amendment freedoms, preventing viewpoint discrimination, and preserving access to diverse ideas in public libraries.

freedomtoreadproject.org

Book censorship doesn't happen in a vacuum. Understanding today's challenges means understanding how we got here. This roundup revisits 12 insightful Book Riot articles on censorship, advocacy, local elections, and protecting the freedom to read. bookriot.com/12-more-book...

12 Book Censorship Posts to Revisit: Book Censorship News for July 11, 2026

From the necessity to talk about sex in books to building voter guides to local elections, catch up on previous book censorship posts.

bookriot.com

“Eventually, the challenges of maintaining the library became greater than the will to preserve it….The fact that the library was allowed to die showed that the dark age had already arrived.” Multiple FL districts have $0 set aside for library books next year. Others are “repurposing” the space.

The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 4w ago

The advent of reading transformed society, and its decline will bring about changes of the same magnitude, @rosehorowitch.bsky.social writes. Can America—and civilization—survive the postliterate era? theatln.tc/l2Xk9ATe 🎨: The Atlantic