Right to Learn
Full Title: An Act Regarding Free Expression (H.3594 / S.2328)
Lead Sponsors: Rep. John Moran & Rep. Adam Scanlon; Sen. Julian Cyr
The Problem
Book bans are attacks on free speech in general, and attacks more specifically on the identities, histories, or topics represented in targeted books, materials, and media. Many attempts have targeted books and media dealing with LGBTQ characters and themes, race, equity, social justice, and the US’s complicated history.
According to estimates, 72% of book bans are nationally coordinated. In addition to attacking specific identities, histories, and topics, book bans are attacks on library boards and their members, school committees and their members, and therefore local democracy. It isn’t reasonable to expect that library board and school committee members across Massachusetts are all prepared to respond to a nationally coordinated effort. Such book bans sow division within communities, distract from other policy work, and dissuade people from running for important local offices.
Additionally, many book bans have targeted librarians themselves—limiting their ability to choose books and media, and even proposing punishments. Some book ban attempts challenge classroom book collections, limiting teachers’ abilities to meet their students’ needs.
The American Library Association reported that Massachusetts had the 4th highest number of book ban attacks in 2022. Complicating the data, and problematic in its own way, many book ban attacks aren’t reported out of fear.
The Solution
Massachusetts should pass legislation that takes much of the burden off of local library boards and school committees and reins in book bans.
An Act Regarding Free Expression applies to school libraries and municipal libraries, and would do the following:
- Ensure that students have the right to express their views verbally or visually, write and disseminate their views, assemble peaceably on school property to express opinions (at approved times/places), and receive materials determined to be educational and age-appropriate.
- Set clear standards that material can only be removed from school libraries by a vote of the school committee, following a public hearing and recommendation from a review committee, if that material is found, based on “clear and convincing evidence,” to be “devoid of any educational, literary, artistic, personal or social value or is not age appropriate.” During the process, materials would remain on the shelves.
- Protect librarians from dismissal or other punitive actions when selecting materials in good faith.
- Require school and municipal libraries to have written policies for dealing with censorship challenges about books, media, or materials, with templates provided by the MA Library System.
- Require school and municipal libraries to report to the legislature annually about book challenges and their outcomes.
Contact Your Legislators
Find your legislators’ contact information here.
Urge your legislators to co-sponsor this bill, or to champion it if they’ve already co-sponsored it. A few talking points beyond the information above:
- Several states have already banned book bans in school and/or municipal libraries, including Illinois, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington. Massachusetts should catch up and stand for free speech!
- Banning or restricting access to books in school and public libraries undermines academic growth, healthy identity development, and the public good.
- MA legislators need to take the burden off of the hundreds of library boards and school committees across our state. This nationally coordinated attack calls for state leaders to pass legislation that pushes back on this authoritarian effort, limits censorship, and protects residents of all ages, librarians, and civic leaders.
#MALegislature, let’s catch up to other states that have already banned #bookbans. Pass the Right to Learn bill! Protect readers & librarians.
Hey, keep their politics out of my book choices! Ban #bookbans. Pass the Right to Learn bill. #FreeSpeech
Libraries are for learning, not for censoring certain people, certain histories, certain experiences. Pass the Right to Learn bill. Ban #bookbans.
Books open doors; #bookbans close them. Let kids learn, explore, find themselves and learn about others. Pass the Right to Learn bill.
Write a Letter to the Editor
Adapt the template below! Or email us at issues@progressivemass.com for help!
Who should determine what books you read? You! But, Massachusetts is the 4th most targeted state for book ban challenges, most of which are nationally coordinated, attempting to control what people in Massachusetts read. Let’s rein in book bans!
The books and materials most targeted are attacks on already marginalized communities – LGBTQ and BIPOC in particular. We should let kids learn, explore, find themselves and learn about others. Librarians are professionally trained to choose books and shouldn’t be threatened with punishments.
Join me in contacting our state legislators to press for An Act Regarding Free Expression (H.3594 / S.2328) to pass as soon as possible. Several states have already banned book bans in school and/or municipal libraries, including Illinois, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington. Massachusetts should catch up and stand for free speech!
Read More
- American Library Association. “2024 Book Ban Data.” Accessed May 1, 2025. https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data.
- Limbong, Andrew. “New Report Finds a Coordinated Rise in Attempted Book Bans.” NPR. September 19, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/09/19/1123156201/new-report-finds-a-coordinated-rise-in-attempted-book-bans.
- Meehan, Kasey, Jonathan Friedman, Sabrina Baêta, and Tasslyn Magnusson. Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor. PEN America, 2023. https://pen.org/report/book-bans-pressure-to-censor/.
Talking Points & Sample Tweets