Book bans aren’t just about what students read—they’re about who gets to control knowledge itself. The decision of books being banned can deeply impact the perspective of students who are experiencing this in real time. When certain voices are silenced, the implications move throughout society, shaping the future generations’.
Across the United States, books are being banned in schools due to topics including race, sexuality, and violence. In response, Denver7 talks about a senate bill in Colorado that was passed, known as Library Resource Decision Standards for Public Schools. This bill makes it harder to restrict access to these materials for Colorado.
Unlike states that have passed laws making it easier to ban books, Colorado’s law protects access to books by preventing schools from removing books based on ideological objections. While some states allow parents or school boards to challenge and restrict books, Colorado ensures that those books will not be banned or restricted. This approach contrasts with laws in places like Florida and Texas, where some bans have led to the removal of peoples on race, gender, and history.
The Colorado General Assembly has provided a debrief of this law. “The bill specifies that a librarian, media specialist, other employee, contractor, or volunteer (employee) at a public school library is not subject to termination, demotion, discipline, or retaliation for refusing to remove a library resource before it has been reviewed.”
Wikipedia talks about how 10,000 books were banned from US schools under Republican-led censorship laws in the 2023/2024 academic year. With this wide ban of books, it restricts people from learning, and reading diverse sources. It widely affects and impacts students, plus educators.
Unite Against Book Bans talks about how 81 percent of educators feel that the book bans and restrictions to books harm students. 78 percent say that their students read more when they have a free choice in what they read. And 72 percent say that student engagement declines when their book access is restricted.
Colorado’s law protecting schools from book bans ensures that students have access to diverse topics, fostering critical thinking and inclusivity in the classroom. By preventing the removal of topics, the law allows educators to teach without censorship, or the fear of. It allows students to learn with materials that reflect a wide range of experiences.
With the banned books around the USA, it allows students to engage with books that challenge ideas and spark meaningful discussions. As a result, challenging titles like Maus, The Hate U Give, and Gender Queer remain in Colorado schools.
Some books that have been banned so far include The Bluest Eye, banned because it contains offensive language, and mature content. Brave New World, banned for its promotion of adult themes. Harry Potter, banned because of religious reasons. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, banned because it revolves around LGBTQIA+, mature content, and drugs and profanity. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, banned because of its to explicit content, talking about sexual abuse. And The Handmaid’s Tale, banned because it discusses feminism and extremism.
All these books may include some harsh topics to read about, but it is important to know about them. With this book ban, it restricts students to read only certain topics, covering up real life ones. Some of those books are based on true stories, but many of them reflect many real life experiences even if the story isn’t actually non-fiction.
Since many of these books are dearly loved, lots of people have decided to publicly speak about it. Pen America is a resource to many incase of books bans happening in your community. They also provide a guide on how to plan a peaceful protest if needed.
Colorado’s law plays a huge role in the broader fight against censorship. At a time when book bans are increasing all over, this law shows how states can uphold freedom for their literature. Its success could inspire other states to follow into similar protections, ensuring that students everywhere have the opportunity to engage in non-restrictive literature.
