The District of Colorado must return books prohibited to school libraries

A federal judge ordered Wednesday Elizabeth school district To restore library books, the district is prohibited next week, prohibiting the district of new restrictions on access to books to which the school board is politically opposed.

US district judge Charlotte N. Sweeney published a preliminary injunction declaring that prohibited books must be returned to school libraries on Tuesday. The order also prohibits the school board from deleting books “because the district does not agree with the points of view expressed there or simply to advance their favorite political or religious orthodoxy.”

The injunction comes after American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado continued the school district in December for having removed books from school libraries – titles largely putting people of color or LGBTQ people – in an act, the organization allegedly alleged the protection of freedom of expression.

Superintendent Dan Snowberger said the Elizabeth school district examined the decision.

“We respect the judge’s order, but we are particularly disappointed with the decision to avoid an hearing so that the district can explain the decision of the board of directors and the prudent and transparent process that he followed before withdrawing the books,” Snowberger said in a statement. “We will appeal the decision and the district respects the advice’s decision to delete the sexually explicit and inappropriate content of our school libraries.”

Tim Macdonald, the ACLU of the legal director of Colorado, described the major victory decision for students of Elizabeth and all coloradans.

“Access to a diversity of points of view is an integral part of the well-being and education of all students, and this injunction gives them this opportunity,” Macdonald wrote in a press release.

In the trial, ACLU represented two students in the school district, the Rocky Mountain Regional NAACP and the oldest and largest professional organization in the country for published writers, The authors’ guild.

Last summer, the Elizabeth Board of Education created a committee to determine which books from the district school libraries contained “sensitive subjects”, in particular racism, discrimination, mental illness and sexual content. The Committee identified 19 pounds which it deemed “very sensitive” which should be withdrawn from the district school libraries.

The deleted books mainly presented black people, Bruns and LGBTQ, said aclu, notably “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and “#pride: Champion of LGBTQ Rights” of Rebecca Felix.

In September, the Council announced that the 19 pounds would be permanently deleted from school libraries. The board of directors has also promulgated a policy prohibiting students from sharing books between them, said the trial.