Booksology “The right to read and the right to free speech are inseparable. The First Amendment protects the freedom to read, learn, and share ideas free from unconstitutional censorship,” Tom Ford, chief attorney for the ACLU of Utah, said in a press release. “This law censors constitutionally protected books, silences authors, and denies students access to ideas, violates the First Amendment rights of students and authors alike, and should be repealed.”
Utah passed one of the strictest public school book laws in 2024. House Bill 29 (HB 29) would allow parents to object to books they deem to be “confidential materials” and would completely ban books from all public schools in the state if those books are considered “objectively confidential material” or “pornography” by state law in at least three public school districts in the state, or two public school districts and five charter schools. The bill went into effect on July 1, 2024 and covered 13 titles. Currently, the list contains 22 titles.
The bill is retroactive, meaning the list includes titles that met state guidelines prior to the bill’s commencement date. Pursuant to HB 29, a public or charter school must notify the State Board of Education whenever it removes books that are considered “confidential material.” If the book meets the criteria for removal, all schools will be advised and expected to destroy the book.
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“For many Utah students, the first sense of their life and identity is through library books. When those books are gone, students notice right away. It sends a clear message about whose stories matter and whose stories don’t,” one of the student plaintiffs said in a press release. “Banning books is more harmful than simply removing stories. Empty shelves remove our understanding and connection, turning schools from places of learning into systems of control. Censorship not only kills ideas, but its chilling effect on our right to learn makes schools even more confusing and dangerous.”
The full complaint filed against the State of Utah can be read here. This is a case that deserves close attention. This will have serious implications not only for Utah, but also for South Carolina, Florida, and other states where government officials are taking books away from users and slowly chipping away at the rights of American citizens.
