Alaska: “Judge Orders School District to Return Challenged Books to Shelves”

From Alaska Public Media:

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled in favor of most of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and Northern Justice Project’s lawsuit against the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District over the removal of challenged books from school libraries.

Gleason ruled that all but seven books — deemed to violate state statute on obscenity by an 11-member Library Citizens Advisory Committee — must be returned to school library shelves before school starts on Aug. 15.

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The district removed 56 library books from shelves in April of 2023 in response to citizen complaints. After the removal, a new Library Citizens Advisory Committee began reviewing books last August, and finished their review of all but two of the available books this June. The committee recommended seven be removed from circulation altogether, and a spokesperson for the district said last month that 28 books had been returned to shelves.

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The case will still go to trial in April to determine if Judge Gleason’s order will be permanent.

Learn More, Read the Complete Article

See Also: Statement From ACLU

See Also: Preliminary Injunction (23 pages; PDF)

Filed under: Libraries, News, School Libraries