A state legislator wants to make it more difficult for school boards to arbitrarily ban books from school classrooms and libraries.
State Rep. Christopher Rabb’s forthcoming legislation would require the Pennsylvania Department of Education and school board seeking to ban a book to participate in at least two public hearings on the book in question. The hearings would be moderated by professionals with knowledge on the book and its contents, and would be required before a school board vote to ban the book.
“These book bans are an attempt to censor educators and restrict the information and educational materials that students can have access to in school,” Rabb, a Philadelphia Democrat, wrote in a memo to colleagues.