State wisely mulls banning book bans

Opinion editor's note:Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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A good response to the troubling trend of restricting access to books is making its way through the 2024 Minnesota Legislature. Now part of the education policy conference committee bill, the smart legislation would ban book bans.

As amended this week, the measure would prohibit book bans in public and school libraries based on content or ideological objections. And it would require the key decisions about the books and other age-appropriate materials be made by library professionals.

School boards or other school governing bodies would be required to adopt policies that outline procedures for selection of and reconsideration of library materials. Parents, guardians or adult students could still request a curriculum content challenge to the material. But the ultimate decisions would lie with library professionals.

That's as it should be. Book bans around the nation have increased so much that some schools and librarians worry about lawsuits, fines and even imprisonment if they carry books on their shelves that others want to ban. Already this year, lawmakers in more than 15 states have introduced bills to impose harsh penalties on libraries or librarians.

The American Library Association reports that more than 4,200 works in school and public libraries were challenged in 2023, a dramatic increase from nearly 2,600 books in 2022. And in 2023, 47% of the targeted books had LGBTQ and racial themes.

Minnesota is one of several Democratic-leaning states where lawmakers are now wisely pursuing prohibiting book bans. Legislators in Washington and Maryland have passed protections this year; Illinois did so last year.

Earlier this year, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school teacher, proposed a ban on book bans, understanding the importance of student access. The governor told reporters that book bans are "the antithesis of everything we believe" and denounced what he depicted as a growing effort to bully school boards.

Still, there have been objections to the proposal. Some Republican lawmakers have argued that their colleagues should be focusing instead on student performance, with just under half of public-school students now reading at grade level.

"Every book is banned for a child that doesn't know how to read," said GOP Rep. Patricia Mueller, a teacher from Austin, told the Associated Press.

Yet as the Star Tribune Editorial Board has previously argued, access to a variety of materials is important to fuel student interest in reading. And it's important for young people to see more of their own lives and cultures reflected in materials they find on the shelves.

Some experts consider the books that have been targeted for banishment to be lifeline for many underrepresented kids. Students like Shae Ross, a queer and out Bloomington high school senior who has worked on campaigns to preserve access to books dealing with sexuality, gender and race. Ross, 18, told the AP that she is encouraged to see her governor and leaders of other states are taking the fight statewide.

"For a lot of teenagers … literature becomes sort of an escape," Ross said. "Especially when I was like sixth, seventh grade, I'd say reading books, especially books with gay characters ... was a way that I could feel seen and represented."