Schools and counties have been banning books for decades because of what is talked about in them. Concerned parents are going to the board and reporting books that talk about sexuality, race, gender, identity, and more.
A book ban is when a book has been removed from school curriculums and/or public libraries. This is because a person or a group of people got together in a meeting and agreed on removing it because of what content is in it.
Books are being stripped from the libraries that represent various cultures, lifestyles, and more. This can affect the students because they might feel that they aren’t represented anymore.
Banning books restricts students and adults’ information that they get. This violates the First Amendment which is Freedom of Speech. This can discourage the students’ thoughts and how they can think for themselves.
Timothy Wright, a junior, states “I don’t think books should get banned. Banning books shouldn’t be a thing, and if you get offended, just don’t read them.”
According to the First Book website, 72% of students feel that restricting book access decreases students engaging in reading.
If schools continue to discard and ban books that students want to read and that are important to them, they will lose interest in reading at all.
School boards are the ones that are choosing to ban certain books. School boards consist of teachers, parents, the public, and appointed officials. The boards don’t have any student body to represent the students so therefore, the students have no voice for what books can be chosen to get banned or restricted. The students should have a voice in what books get banned and what don’t get banned.
Payton Barrett, a CFHS substitute states, “It’s hard to build a curriculum for students when you don’t have engaging books they can relate to. You want to have a welcoming environment and have a discussion students can have an opinion on and banning books like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker creates a barrier for the diversity of the students in the classroom.”
When schools and counties ban books, it makes teachers unsure of what they can talk about to their students and in the classroom.
According to ABC 15 News, an Horry County Schools librarian stated, “I just hate that they’re kind of taking a step back and beginning to restrict books because I also have a lot of kids who are LGBTQ themselves. And so to put a book that represents their lives out of reach makes me sad as an educator.”
Banning books that students relate to can make them feel alone and by themselves. Even though adults or other students may not agree with what they believe in, they should still respect them. It is important for students to read books that can help them grow.
