Gavin Newsom Warns California Schools That Ban Books Will Answer to the Attorney General
From The Sacramento Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a stern message Thursday to school leaders across California — any attempt to ban books from classrooms or libraries may require them to answer to the state attorney general. In a letter to county and district superintendents and charter school administrators, Newsom, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and Attorney General Rob Bonta cautioned against instituting any book bans.
Should a school still choose to remove certain instructional materials, the trio warns that it could be asked to explain its decision-making process to Bonta’s office.
“As state leaders elected to represent the values of all Californians, we offer our response in one shared voice: Access to books – including books that reflect the diverse experiences and perspectives of Californians, and especially, those that may challenge us to grapple with uncomfortable truths – is a profound freedom we all must protect and cultivate,” the letter read.
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
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