Of Parents and School Boards

Borrowed

Over the past few years, school board races have become more heated and more political — and books have become the center of that political storm. We look at what happened in Keller, Texas when an ultra-conservative group took over the school board.

You can read a transcript of this episode here.

Our call to action for this episode:

• Find out when the next school board meeting is happening in your community, and show up.
• Unite Against Book Bans has an Action Toolkit with advice for how to talk about book bans, and how to contact your local officials about the freedom to read.

More resources:

• PEN America has been tracking states with "educational gag orders" in place or pending. Read their anyalisis here.
• Read ProPublica's investigation into chaos at school boards, and Nicole Carr's reporting on one school board in Cherokee County, Georgia.
• Submit an anonymous testimonial to help us document how teens, parents, educators and community members are fighting for their freedom to read.
• Check out some of the books mentioned on this episode.

Help us keep our libraries open by fighting for city funding. Write to your city leaders! Or, send a letter on behalf of Queens Public Library or New York Public Library.