Freedom to Read

Policy Committee    October 5, 2023

HARRISBURG, Oct. 6-- The House and Senate Democratic Policy Committees co-hosted a public hearing in Harrisburg yesterday on the impact of censorship and book bans in public and school libraries. The hearing, held at the State Capitol, featured three panels of testimony that included perspectives from educators, parents, and policy experts who discussed the rise in book bans across the Commonwealth and the country. 

• Testifiers:
  • Keith Willard- Secondary Social Studies Teacher, Central Bucks School
  • Darren Lausten- Parent, Pennridge School District
  • Kate Nazemi- Parent, Central Bucks School District
  • Deborah Gordon Klehr- Executive Director, Education Law Center of Pennsylvania
  • Sarah DeMaria- President-Elect, Pennsylvania School Library Association

Agenda + Testimony

• Hearing agenda and testimony: Freedom to Read

Media Release + News Coverage

• Hearing Explores Troubling Increase in Book Bans, October 5, 2023
• Pennsylvania Capital-Star, Lawmakers, experts debate the impact and consequences of book bans, October 5, 2023
• MyChesCo, Censorship Crisis: PA Senate Democrats Tackle Rising Book Bans in Public Libraries, October 8, 2023
• York Dispatch, Pennsylvania lawmakers clash over school censorship during Banned Books Week, October 8, 2023

Photos

• Click here to view photos from this hearing
• Click here to view the entire hearing