Hunter
08/12/24
The injunction blocking a new Iowa law prohibiting school libraries from having books containing sexually explicit material has been lifted.
Iowa Capital Dispatch reports a three-person panel of federal appeals court judges made the ruling Friday. The law prohibits school libraries from including books with written and visual depictions of sex acts, in addition to banning instruction and materials involving issues of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown issued a statement expressing his disappointment in the decision, saying students will be deprived of reading from great authors with valuable stories. He added, “If Iowa’s elected leaders truly valued education professionals, they would leave important classroom decisions to the local school districts and the experts who work in them – not make what we teach our students a game of political football.”
A statement from State Attorney General Brenna Bird called it a win for Iowa parents, who, quote, “will no longer have to fear what their kids have access to in schools when they are not around.”
Legal challenges will continue, as the decision returns the case to district court. Among the challengers to the law are the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Lambda Legal, Iowa Safe Schools, along with Penguin Random House publishing and authors who have had their books removed from school libraries due to the law.