July 13

Dear Friends,

On July 26th at 7pm, Central Bucks School Board Directors (the majority 6) are on track to pass new rules that would allow censorship in school libraries. They will repeatedly tell you that this is not a book ban. And in its most known sense, sure, books are not being ripped off of shelves and thrown to the fires. That type of removal is obviously illegal. And so, as it became clear back in February, they had their minds set on more nuanced censorship through the creation of highly restrictive and vague selection criteria. And when the Central Library Department's Proposal didn't fit their goals, they found language in a Texas policy that could satisfy a small group of vocal parents whose motto for excluding books is "Stop the Grooming".

For 6 months concerned petitioners, parents, students, teachers, librarians, PA School Library Association, Education Law Center, and the ACLU among others, have voiced their concerns and dissent. Yet, here we are, two weeks away from having the most restrictive Library Policy in Pennsylvania—a policy that gives a few parents the authority to decide what 18,000 students should read. 

We won't back down. Our work continues:

• Attend the meeting at 20 Weldon Drive on 7/26 and voice your concern
• Write the Board
• Write an OpEd

A podcast that explains it all: https://whyy.org/episodes/schooled-from-covid-to-censorship-bucks-county/

Thank you for reading.

Kate