NH Republicans Fail to Override Governor Vetoes of Book Ban, Bathroom Bills | NHPR
New Hampshire House Republicans failed to override a string of vetoes by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, after a muted session that previewed disagreements within the party heading into 2026. They failed to push through bills to allow separation of bathrooms by biological sex and ease the process of removing books from schools.

North Carolina Library Board Ousted After Voting To Keep Children’s Book About Trans Boy | The Washington Post
Disagreement about having Kyle Luckoff’s Call Me Max, a picture book about a trans boy, remain in a Randolph County’s library led commissioners to dissolve the county library board.

The Supreme Court Just Opened the Door to a New Era of Book Bans | TIME Magazine
In leaving the Fifth Circuit ruling in place, Amanda Jones and Suzette Baker write that SCOTUS effectively granted state and local governments in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas the authority to determine what materials you can and cannot read. This means people in these states do not have the same First Amendment rights as the rest of the country. And that should raise alarm for everyone. 

36 Books Removed, 95 Restricted in Ohio District School Libraries | Dayton Daily News
The Bellbrook-Sugarcreek (OH) School District has removed or restricted 130 books from school libraries since it enacted a policy that regulates sexual content and “gender ideology” in school materials, presentations, or books. The new policy is part of the school’s Parent’s Bill of Rights put in place last April as a requirement from the state.

Five books were removed from Bellbrook Intermediate School and 31 books were removed from the middle school, according to documents reviewed by Dayton Daily News.

All of these books are still offered at the high school level but are restricted, meaning students have to get permission from their parents to check them out. A total of 94 books were restricted at the high school.

“I trust parents”: Kansas District School Board Member Votes Against Jesus Land Book Ban | KCTV5
The Gardner-Edgerton (KS) School Board held a heated debate over the banning of a book after one parent requested it be pulled from the high school library. The book, Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres, recounts the author’s teen years with her adopted Black brother David in what she refers to as racist 1980s Indiana and their experiences there at a religious reform school.

Her writing frequently addresses themes of racism, abuse, and faith.

One board member, Heath Freeman, said that although he respects the right of the parent making the request, he equally respects the rights of parents unrepresented.

“I trust parents to make decisions for their children. I reached out to our Media Specialist at the high school, and she confirmed that not one person has asked to have this book removed,” said Freeman. “If you do not want your children to have this book, there’s not a staff member who will not bend over backwards to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

South Carolina County Library Becomes Latest To Move Books About Gender from Children’s Section | South Carolina Daily Gazette
The York County (SC) Library policy follows a state budget clause requiring libraries to restrict children’s access to “prurient” books.

Families Voice Concern After Arkansas School District Removes Books from Online Platform | Little Rock Public Radio
Parents and officials in the North Little Rock (AR) School District are at odds over a controversial plan to shield certain books from students.

In October, district leaders told schools to pull more than 50 books from the district’s reading app, called Epic. Most of the books on the list center on queer experiences or civil rights activism. The district says they removed the books to “respect family beliefs.” But some parents are skeptical.

Five More Books Added to South Carolina District Libraries Restricted List | The Island News
The Beaufort County (SC) Board of Education voted to restrict access to five more books during the December 9 board meeting. The books—Milk and Honey by Rupi Kapur, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, November 9 by Colleen Hoover, and Perfect by Ellen Hopkins—are now only allowed to be checked out from a Beaufort County School District (BCSD) high school library if a high school student takes a consent form home for their parents to sign giving them permission to check out the book.

California District removes Push, restricts The Bluest Eye | Community Forward Redlands News
The Redlands (CA) Unified School District Board of Education voted to remove Push from high school libraries and restrict The Bluest Eye to students over 18 with parental consent.

10 Ways To Safeguard Inclusive Libraries and Fight Book Banning | SPLC
The Southern Poverty Law Center and Read Freely Alabama recently partnered to host educational events across the state, offering guidance and tools for protecting libraries and resisting censorship. Here are 10 actions you can take in your own community to oppose book bans.