Schools Banned 1,477 Books in 1st Half of ’22-’23

In the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 1,477 instances of books ripped off the shelves.

That affects 874 unique titles and is an increase from the prior six-month period, when 1,149 instances were recorded from January to June 2022.

PEN America said most incidents were recorded in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina. Of the unique titles banned, 30% were about race or contained minorities and 26% had LGBTQ+ themes.

Overall, PEN America has recorded more than 4,000 instances of banned books, including 2,253 unique titles, since it started counting in July 2021. They were found in 182 school districts in 37 states, affecting millions of students.

The group said it has tracked the efforts over the past two years by documenting groups advocating for book bans, local efforts to prohibit them, and state-level policies.

One of those policies was enacted last year and recently expanded by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with the help of his Republican-led Florida State Legislature: the Parental Rights in Education Act.

According to the law, school employees or third parties are restricted from giving classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

House Republicans passed the Parents Bill of Rights Act months later, amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require schools to disclose their libraries and curriculum.

The measure is unlikely to pass the Senate or be signed by President Joe Biden.

“As a mom of two and a former educator, I believe for children to succeed, they need families and schools to work together as partners throughout the learning process,” Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., who introduced the legislation, said in a press release.