South Dakota Moves Forward on Bill to Remove Protections from School and Public Librarians  | Argus Leader
The South Dakota House Education Committee voted to pass a bill removing defenses for schools, colleges, universities, museums, and public libraries if they’re charged with disseminating material considered harmful to minors, which is a misdemeanor. As the law stands now, any employee of a school, college, university, museum, or public library would be exempt from a charge. This bill would remove that protection.

Idaho Public Library System Approved All Mature Book Relocations, Except the Bible. | FAVS News
The library system in Kootenai County, ID, is moving 16 young adult books into its new adults-only room as it vets materials that have drawn concern from members of the community as being inappropriate for children. The library system did not consider a request to move the Bible into the mature content room. The materials will be held in a room for adult access only at the Post Falls (ID) Library.

Librarians Reading 30,000 Books in Louisiana Parish to Check for Explicit Material | The Advocate
The Livingston Parish, LA, library shelves reserved for young adult books are temporarily empty, while librarians attempt to read tens of thousands of the books to hopefully resolve concerns about children having access to potentially sexually explicit books at the parish's libraries. The local library board of control approved pulling 30,000 young adult print and audiobook materials from children's sections and moving those deemed sexually explicit to the adult side in each of the five library branches. 

Missouri District Parents Can Choose to Limit Child’s Library Access | KCTV5
A new policy at Lee’s Summit (MO) R-7 School District will not change what libraries look like or the books they carry, but some students may not be able to check out the book they want after March 1. The district sent a newsletter out to parents about the change where parents can access the library’s catalog software system. Parents interested in limiting access to certain titles can call the library media specialist to list up to 20 titles they wish to restrict for their child. If parents opt in, their student will not be able to access the self-checkout system and would need to coordinate with a librarian to check out material. Parents then “will receive an automated email each evening listing any materials their student has checked out from an LSR7 media center.”

Colorado Senate Passes Bill That Would Make It Harder for Certain Books to be Banned from School Libraries | ABC7
SB25-063 would require school districts to write a policy for how books could be removed from libraries, and the policy must follow antidiscrimination law concerning protected classes.

Des Moines (IA) Public Schools Hasn't Banned a Single Book Since Iowa's New Law. It's Not Alone | Des Moines Register
School districts across Iowa have removed almost 3,400 books in response to the law, but Des Moines Public Schools has not removed any books from its libraries despite a new Iowa law banning books depicting sex acts.

Arkansas Library Directors’ Degree Requirement to be Dropped Under Latest Bill from ‘Book Ban Dan’ | Arkansas Times
Arkansas Republican state senator Dan Sullivan—infamous for defunding his hometown library system in 2022 and for his 2023 effort to criminalize librarians—is now taking aim at the state’s top librarian, along with directors of the state’s regional public library systems. Sullivan introduced two new bills aimed at libraries. SB181 would substantially reduce academic standards for the state library director and regional library directors, repealing the requirement that they hold master’s degrees from programs accredited by the American Library Association.

Arkansas Bill Providing Government More Oversight on Libraries, PBS Advances | KUAF
A proposal that would give the government more oversight on libraries and public television advanced in a legislative committee yesterday. The bill would transfer the powers of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission and the State Library Board to the Department of Education. The bill passed committee with just one dissenter. It now moves to the full Senate.

Arkansas State Library Board Refuses to Reject American Library Association, Withhold Funds | Arkansas Advocate
Library directors defend the profession and available materials.

Schools Serving Military Service Members’ Kids are Pulling Books on Civil Rights History after Trump’s DEI threats | Independent
Defense officials ordered schools around the world to remove books that don’t align with Trump’s ideological views.

'Freedom to Read' Bill Seeks to Fight Book Bans in South Carolina Schools | Fox57
The "Freedom to Read Protections and Respect for School Library Media Specialist Autonomy Act" is a response to efforts to ban books in public school libraries across South Carolina. According to House Democrats, the bill aims to: affirm students' access to diverse and developmentally appropriate reading materials; protect the autonomy of school library media specialists in curating and maintaining their school library/media center collections; establish requirements for formal challenges to library materials; safeguard the rights of public school library media specialists and other school professionals when performing their duties in good faith.

Iowa Republicans Propose Banning ‘Obscene’ Books from Public Libraries | KCRG
A law banning books that depict sex acts from school libraries is already in effect. The bill regarding public libraries passed out of the subcommittee along party lines. Now, it must get approval from the House Education Committee before it can be brought up before the full House of Representatives for a vote.

'Class Disrupted': Students weigh in on the contentious book ban debate in new series | The Tennessean
In 2025, The Tennessean will take a close look at key issues facing the U.S. education system — and how students feel about them — through its new series "Class Disrupted." First up, high school students with a variety of backgrounds and political stances weigh in on why book removals do—or don't—matter.