Opinion: Education in Its Worst Form—Large-Scale

This is an opinion piece supporting the READ campaign. How are parents, educators, and legislators across America supposed to come together and agree on curriculum needs for public school students?
By Caroline Jones | April 23, 2025

There is a whirlwind of current political debates, and the topic of book bans is chief among them. A book ban is defined as action taken against a book to limit or completely remove it from availability because it has been deemed to contain some form of inappropriate content. Many people view this as unabashed censorship. Others view it as good parenting. I will attempt to find a common ground in these two views, in the process highlighting the inherent problem with discussions around book bans: it is inevitable that parents, educators, and legislators will disagree on what content should be available to children. Thus, the “book ban” problem is the natural end of large-scale education.

Opposing Perspectives Cannot Effectively Communicate With Each Other
Peter Derk, a school librarian from Colorado released a piece with litreactor in 2023, where he lambasts the organization Moms for Liberty and their supposed book bans. Moms for Liberty is composed of parents who want to be more in control of their children’s education. They are notably right-wing. Derk uses some choice language that I will not repeat in this piece, while providing a written reaction to a document apparently put out by Moms for Liberty that proposes bans of specific books. Derk provides a link to the document, which eloquently explains why these moms want to ban certain books.

The first book listed is Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Moms for Liberty’s summary of concerns for this book reads: “This book contains obscene sexual activities and sexual nudity, alternate gender ideologies, and profanity” (Book-Of-Books). Their document also includes photos of several pages in this book, illuminating why they view it as completely inappropriate. Moms for Liberty found that this book was in several high schools in Iowa, where they conducted their search. As they communicate in their document, Moms for Liberty believes that parents have a right to dictate what materials are available to their children. Derk refuses to grapple with this point of view, other than to concede that Gender Queer should not be available for elementary schoolers, while rattling Moms for Liberty with insults. Whether those insults are deserved is beside the point. The point is precisely that these two entities cannot have any form of a fruitful conversation about book bans.

Book Bans Are a Censorship Issue
Whatever the rights of parents are, making an attempt to limit the availability of a book is rooted in censorship. A common argument against this point of view is summarized as follows: Anyone who wants to read a book that has been banned can just go out and buy that book. And, yes, that is true. However, as PEN America explains, “There is … no guarantee that students will have easy or equitable access to books in other locations, have money to purchase a book, or even know a book exists.” By definition, a school library is a place where students of any background can go to learn. In this ever-changing world, it is non-negotiable that children and, especially teens, have access to books coming from diverse perspectives. These very students will grow up to be the new generation of leaders; their education cannot be lacking. Any attempt to suppress certain books from availability is a strike-out against the education of America’s future leaders. The censorship brought about by book bans wields the power to destroy America.

Is There Any Common Ground?
The question of whether the content featured in a book is inappropriate is ultimately a subjective one. Many people will look at the photos of Gender Queer from the Moms for Liberty document and say that they are completely unsuitable for anyone under the age of eighteen. Others will say that many people younger than that threshold should have access to the book. Answers to this question are based on an individual’s ideologies and background; thus, they are subjective. Some parents want to have a tight grip on their children’s education, and some do not. And that does not mean that either opinion is inherently wrong. After all, it is natural to disagree. Still, book bans are censorship and thus cannot be the end of that disagreement. It is my opinion that the whole issue of book bans is inevitable when so many students with different backgrounds are educated in the same institution.

As Americans, we need to bring more empathy to our conversations about book bans if we are ever to move forward. Some parents want to monitor the potentially inappropriate content that is available to their kids, and that is normal. Some Americans are concerned about book bans as a censorship issue and that is certainly important. Given the inevitability of the book ban issue, empathy must be our common ground.