Freedom to Read Act becomes law
Murphy signs legislation meant to slow book bans
By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Governor Phil Murphy has signed the Freedom to Read Act into law in an effort to prevent "arbitrary" book banning and protect the rights of students, parents and communities at New Jersey schools and public libraries.
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"Books, as we all know, are the keys to fostering a culture of learning that extends far beyond the classroom," Murphy said Monday [12/09/2024] morning at the Princeton Public Library, where he signed the legislation at a public event. "They encourage the curiosity of young readers, and when our kids feel inspired to learn, they will also be inspired to work hard and dream big."
..... State Senator Andrew Zwicher, whose mother was an English teacher and whose stepmother was a librarian, championed the new law as it made its way through the legislative process, alongside state Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz.
..... "It is 2024 and we are fighting for something as fundamental as the freedom to read," Zwicher said Monday. [12/09/2024] "these bans are a deliberate effort to erase voices and perspectives that challenge the status quo, often under the quise of protecting children from discomfort."
..... Zwicker noted that during the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America tracked more than 10,000 book bans and found that 44% of banned books center on characters of color or themes of race of racism, while 39% have LGBT characters or themes.
..... The state senator first took up the cause after meeting Martha Hickson, a now-retired high school librarian who worked in the North Hunterdon schools. In 2021 she was at the center of a firestorm related to censorship at a school library she oversaw.
..... Subjected to hate mail and nasty rhetoric at school board meetings and on morning radio shows, Hickson continued to fight for students to have access to diverse options at New Jersey libraries.
.... she received the 2022 Lemony Snicket Prize from the American Library Association and eventually crossed paths with Zwicker.
..... "New Jersey citizens now have protections to rad about the topics that interest them in their libraries," said Hickson, who attended the bill-signing event. "when concerns about books arise, parents now have a clear process for raising issues without resorting to bullying, and for librarians across the state, the dignity of our work will now be recognized and preserved."
What does the legislation do?
..... The law requires boards of education and governing boards of public libraries to cerate and implement policies about how material for school and public libraries is selected.
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A model policy will be developed by the state's education commissioner with coordination from the state librarian, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians and the New Jersey School Board Association.
..... Boards of education and governing boards of public libraries will also have to adopt policies for challenging library materials, including establishing an actual challenge mechanism, cerate a review committee and require a written statement of the final decision.
..... The new law also provides protection from civil and criminal liability for librarians and library staffers providing materials to library suers in accordance with the law.
..... "This law will strengthen, not diminish, the rights of parents to choose what reading materials their children should or should not have access to by ensuring that every family can, make their own determination about what books are appropriate for a child," Murphy said.
..... The bill was not without criticisms. Republicans spoke out about the possibility of children being exposed to obscene materials, but it ultimately passed the state Senate 24-15 in October [2024] after passing the Assembly 52-20 in June.
..... Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. email sobko@northjersey.com.