For students and teachers on the ground, these policies have been tumultuous. Teachers fear inadvertently running afoul of the new rules, to the point where some have removed personal classroom libraries of even innocuous books. In Manatee County, Florida, media specialists reviewed and temporarily pulled over 90 books in early 2023, including modern classics like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and The Kite Runner, after objections were raised. A high school teacher there told the Washington Post she felt “paralyzed” by the uncertainty – “The rules are so vague, it’s safer to remove everything and only bring back what’s explicitly allowed”, she said (preferring anonymity for fear of reprisal). Some educators have resigned in protest or been pushed out. In one case in Escambia County, FL, a veteran English teacher was fired after criticizing the sweeping book bans at a school board meeting, illustrating how even speaking up can be risky.
Librarians have been on the front lines and often the targets of harassment. In Llano County, Texas, library staff who opposed politically motivated book removals were punished. County officials there, urged on by a local far-right faction, removed 17 books from public libraries – titles about puberty, picture books about poop (toilet humor), and books on LGBTQ topics or racial history. When librarians objected, one was fired and others resigned under pressure texastribune.org texastribune.org . In April 2022, seven local patrons sued the county for violating the First Amendment by pulling books due to disagreement with their viewpoints texastribune.org texastribune.org . A federal judge ordered the books returned to shelves pending the lawsuit’s outcome texastribune.org . Rather than comply, county commissioners considered a radical step: closing the library system entirely. In an April 2023 meeting, Llano County’s commissioners discussed shutting down all three public library branches – literally depriving the entire community of a library – just to avoid restoring the banned books texastribune.orgtexastribune.org . The news sparked an uproar. At the public meeting, citizens packed the courthouse to plead for their libraries. “It’s not the county’s job to burn the library down,” one resident admonished officials, noting the grotesque overreaction texastribune.org . Facing backlash, the commissioners backed off and kept the libraries open (for now) texastribune.org . But the removed books remained in legal limbo. In June 2024, the Fifth Circuit appeals court issued a split decision: it agreed that at least 8 of the books must be put back because there was strong evidence they were removed simply for their content (for example, a children’s book on the history of the KKK, which officials likely found objectionable) texastribune.org texastribune.org . However, the court also said the county might be justified in keeping some other books out (one judge pointed to a children’s fart-joke book as not implicating any “ideas” and thus okay to weed out) texastribune.org . One Trump-appointed judge on the panel dissented entirely, saying courts should not get involved in library decisions at all texastribune.org . This case may continue, but it highlights the **extremes to which some local authorities will go – even contemplate eliminating public services – in the name of controlling access to books. It also shows the crucial backstop of the judiciary: even in conservative jurisdictions, the First Amendment can provide protection against blatantly viewpoint-based censorship. As one appellate judge wrote, “a book may not be removed [from a public library] for the sole or substantial reason that officials disagree with its message” texastribune.org . That, of course, is exactly what has been happening in many instances.
The Human Impact: Fear and Frustration
The flurry of book bans and educational gag orders has had real human consequences.