Carroll County: We need your help to stand up to censorship in public school libraries! Recent actions and policy changes in the district potentially violate students’ right to access information and undermine the expertise of trained library staff.
In late August, Carroll County Public Schools library staffers were notified that the school library supervisor had been removed, and staff were ordered to remove 50 titles from library shelves throughout the district pending review. Additionally, school library staffers were given new procedures with vague criteria for ordering new books and told they would be held "liable" for any content that was deemed inappropriate. They could no longer order books that crossed grade levels (for example, librarians in grade 9-12 high schools cannot purchase a book for grade 10 and up), and books for adults — including innocuous cookbooks, nonfiction, and so forth — are forbidden.
To protect the freedom to read in Carroll County, take one or more of these actions:
- Attend the school board meeting in Carroll County at 5:00 p.m. on September 13, 2023 (125 North Court Street, Westminster). Wear black to show support for the Carroll County Public School librarians.
- Sign up to speak at the meeting on September 13 or on a future date. Information about the meeting and how to sign up to speak can be found here. (Deadline to sign up is 12:00 p.m. day of the meeting.)
- Use this form to write a public comment opposing the book removals and policy changes and asking for the reinstatement of the school library supervisor. Be sure to mark the comments as "public comment" on the form. We’ve provided some talking points at the end of this email to get you started.
- Contact the members of the Board of Education using the form below to express your concerns.
- Encourage friends, family members, and library supporters to attend the meeting and send public comment to the Carroll County Board of Education.
For more information about taking action against censorship, please check out the Unite Against Books Bans toolkit.
Don’t let censorship win the day in Carroll County Public Schools. Defend the rights of students and our trusted library staff today!
