On Aug. 13, 2024, a temporary injunction against law SF 496 was lifted, which led to over 3000 books being banned in Iowa public schools. The law states all public schools must have “age appropriate” school library materials, which includes prohibiting any texts with sexual depictions. The law also includes a “Don’t Say Gay” clause which prohibits texts related to sexual orientation for grades K-6.
This has had a major impact on school curriculums. Many teachers are forced to change their curriculums to accommodate the new Iowa law. One example of this is taking out “The Color Purple” from the 11th grade English curriculum.
Taking these books out of the curriculum can result in students being less prepared for real world experiences. “When upperclassmen can’t read The Color Purple but can work and vote and otherwise engage with society as adults, I don’t see why they can’t read and discuss a book that represents real-world experiences and perspectives,” English teacher Jenni Levora shared.
The law includes an exception that excludes libraries and other educational institutes, but an action to remove that exception is eligible for debate in the full House. This would mean books banned in Iowa public schools would also be banned in public educational institutes, such as libraries.
This is greatly problematic. Public libraries are not only good resources to get books and vital information, but also a place people can go to find information for free. Not everyone is able to have access to books and other fundamental information without these educational centers. Restricting the information there is something that is harmful for many people.
The process of restricting access to books in public libraries has already taken effect in Idaho. The state made the decision to create an “adult only” library that can’t be accessed by children without parental supervision. The decision also lets parents and guardians file formal complaints about “inappropriate” books at public libraries that could then be relocated to this “adult only” library. While this process was logistically impossible to achieve, if this were to become successful, it would create a chilling precedent that could restructure laws in Iowa.
Even if people are able to find these books elsewhere, it is important they understand what they are reading. “This law is not just preventing access to books, but how they are processed,” senior Tanya Rastogi said. “If kids aren’t taught about these books in school, they won’t know how to process the messages of them.”
There is also an importance to reading a wide variety of literature. “The books that we read in classes expose us to different perspectives of different people,” senior Ava Neitzel shared. “It reveals a more empathetic view for the people reading so that they are able to connect with other people.”
Restricting access to books will ultimately change the course of English curriculums in public schools. Curriculums will begin to focus less on new perspectives and critical thinking skills and more on technical skills.
“It’s difficult to ban some material without moving into a form of biased teaching,” Neitzel added. “Unintentional biases are impossible to get rid of, so if you ban books, you end up with only biases being taught.”
As this law has the potential to go into effect, it’s important to remember that book bans have a history of silencing certain groups and perspectives. That’s why people should continue to discuss the messages in these books and remember their rights to help uphold their intellectual freedom. “Oftentimes books are banned because they somehow challenge the status quo” librarian Carissa McDonald shared. “And what is education if not a challenge to the status quo?”
