Utah HB29, recently signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox, expanded upon previous legislation that allowed the challenging of “sensitive materials” in public schools. Some 13 books are now ordered to be taken off the shelves at every school library in Utah with more expected to follow. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ken Ivory (R-West Jordan), allows for removal of books from schools statewide if officials in at least three school districts decide the material violates the law.
Florida leads the nation in the unflattering category of book bans, passing ambiguous legislation that allows school districts to make their own rulings. National free speech group PEN America asserts that well north of 3,000 books were banned nationally during the 2022-23 school year, up 33% from the previous year, and that some 40% of the documented instances happened in Florida school districts.
Erica Lukes, host of Expanding Frontiers, welcomes activists Peter Bromberg and Tasslyn Magnusson, PhD, to discuss the dangers of banning books in Utah and across the nation. Join them for a special Friday, Aug. 23, 5pm EST, edition of Expanding Frontiers with Erica Lukes.
Peter Bromberg is the former Executive Director of the Salt Lake City Public Library and holds multiple key positions with nonprofit groups promoting literacy, advancing human rights and opposing censorship, including EveryLibrary and Let Utah Read. He consults on issues concerning libraries, educators and related legislation.
Tasslyn Magnusson, PhD, is a writer and independent research consultant who works with EveryLibrary and PEN America. She researches censorship attempts in K-12 libraries and supports PEN America’s work in creating resources to support authors whose work is targeted.
Comments