by Jacob Rueda
On Monday, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) released its final list of reading materials deemed inappropriate for grades K-12. The decision is part of the board's compliance with Utah House Bill 29, which was signed into law in March by Gov. Spencer Cox.
The list of books labeled by the state as containing "objective sensitive material" met the threshold for banning last week, according to a document on the board's website.
Objective sensitive materials are items defined as pornographic or indecent by Utah law, while subjective sensitive materials are those seen as harmful based on specific criteria.
The document also includes the names and authors of the books, which are:
"The Court of Thorn and Roses" Series by Sarah J Mass:
“A Court of Thorns and Roses”
“A Court of Frost and Starlight”
“A Court of Mist and Fury”
“A Court of Silver Flames”
“A Court of Wings and Ruin”
“Empire of Storms,” by Sarah J Mass
"What Girls are Made of” by Elana K. Arnold
“Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
“Forever” by Judy Blume
“Tilt” by Ellen Hopkins
“Fallout (Crank, Book 3)” by Ellen Hopkins
“Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood
“Blankets” by Craig Thompson
Ryan Bartlett with the Utah State Board of Education told TheLine.Info that school districts make recommendations on which books to ban.
When three school districts in the state reach a consensus on a list of books to ban, it is sent to the board, which then makes the final decision.
Board members may challenge a decision regarding a specific book in the future if a challenge to that ruling is presented. As of now, the decision on the initial 13 books is final. However, Bartlett said the list of banned books may be expanded.
"It is time that we get behind protecting children in our schools, that it is a place of safety and decency for all children," Rep. Ken Ivory, the sponsor of HB 29, said after the bill passed.
PEN America, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the freedom to write and the rights of writers and readers, criticized the decision to ban the books.
"It is a dark day for the freedom to read in Utah,” Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America, said in a statement.
"The state’s No-Read List will impose a dystopian censorship regime across public schools and, in many cases, will directly contravene local preferences," she said.
Meehan also said that allowing a few districts to decide for the whole state which books are inappropriate is "anti-democratic" and fears that vague guidelines will result in "dumpsters full of books that could otherwise be enjoyed by readers."
Calls to stop the banning of books in Utah are being made by the Utah Library Association and Let Utah Read, a coalition of community members and educators advocating for the freedom to read.
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