Throughout the years, one by one, books have slowly vanished from middle school libraries. Under our noses, the Board of Education has gradually eaten away at the array of content students may access. The process has gone overlooked, and as a result, thousands of books have been wiped off of shelves that are supposed to be accessible to children across the United States of America (American Library Association).

The worst part about it? Many of the affected don’t even know that it’s happening, or that it’s detrimental to their rights. So, when we finally realized that this was affecting our own lives, without even knowing it, we knew that we had to take a stand for ourselves and our community—Greenwich—to preserve our academic experiences and our ability to explore unique works without barriers. 

The underlying question stood: how could we prevent valuable literature—especially books crucial to school curriculums, from being wrongfully banned by unreasonable expectations in Greenwich, Connecticut, so that children will continue to maintain their rights to freedom of expression and education? To find the answer to this question, we initiated a comprehensive research process to educate ourselves on the topic and determine the extent of the situation. 

After many months of research, we figured out many things—one of them being that book bans were much trickier than anticipated. It wasn’t simply a matter of keeping schools clean, safe environments, but one that correlated with parental rights and boundaries, as well as the security of students and children alike. This meant that we had to devise a solution that would satisfy the needs of the community as a whole, and not simply one group or the other. These circumstances are what inspired our careful approach —a method that would thoughtfully question this controversial issue, yet challenge those involved in a manner that would not disrespect their authority or perspectives. 

By organizing this ask for change through a petition, we aim to encourage our fellow community members to take a stand for their education by reaching out to those who are directly affected—starting with students, families, and teachers at Central Middle School. As a community, we possess the ability to advocate for what matters. Although our country has a long way to go in mending the political issue of book banning, we hope that Greenwich can be the first to spark a change. 

Please share this petition to your friends and family as it will help our project and increase our chances of getting the once removed books back to Central Middle School. Thank you.

Organized by Claire Pinheiro and Calder and Evelyn Kelly