Texas School District Bans Virginia State Flag and Seal Over Naked Breast | The Guardian
Students in Lamar, TX, can no longer learn about the state of Virginia on their online research database due to the ban. Virginia’s state flag and seal, depicting the Roman goddess Virtus standing over a slain tyrant, her drooping toga exposing her left breast, has been banned from younger students in a Texas school district.

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, near Houston, took action against the image late last year when it removed a section about Virginia from its online learning platform used by third through fifth graders, typically encompassing ages eight to 11, sparking a row, Axios reported.

After Texas Freedom to Read Project filed a public records request, the school district acknowledged that “Virginia” had been removed from the website due to the lesson violating the school board’s local library policy banning any “visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity” in elementary school library material.

Former Oklahoma Teacher’s Defamation Lawsuit Against State Superintendent Dismissed | Oklahoma News 4
A federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters by former Norman High School teacher Summer Boismier. Boismier filed the suit against Walters in 2023, claiming Walters defamed her by saying she gave students access to pornographic materials and was fired for it.

Boismier displayed a QR code in her classroom that, when scanned, allowed students to access various e-books from the Brooklyn Public Library. A U.S. District judge sided with Walters, ruling there was no evidence Walters knew his statements were false. The judge also pointed to Walters, later clarifying that Boismier resigned and was not fired.

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Apologizes for Questioning a 12-Year-Old About Pornography at Civics Event | PennLive
A Republican lawmaker has apologized to the mother of a 12-year-old Schuylkill County, PA, girl for an inappropriate question about pornography at a school civics event. The Schuylkill County Republican, David Argall, who served as a judge for Civics Bee at Penn State Schuylkill, confronted the student after she finished her essay presentation on the dangers book bans—particularly the removal of books with diverse viewpoints or characters from marginalized communities.

“Senator Argall asked Mary, ‘Do you think we should allow pornographic magazines in Kindergarten classrooms?‘” Erin Anderson, the student’s mother, said. “Mary looked confused and had to ask, ‘What does that mean?’ Instead of rephrasing or redirecting the question, the senator explained to her, in front of the entire audience, that it meant ‘naked pictures of people in books and magazines.’”

LISTEN: Kentucky Military Mom Says Book Purges Violate Her Children’s Rights | WKU
Jessica Henninger’s children are three of the 12 represented by the ACLU in suing the government over its implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. One of the orders directs the Department of Defense to review all of its books, curriculum, and faculty for “gender ideology” and “divisive concepts.”

Henninger’s three younger children attend a school run by the Department of Defense Education Activity. That agency oversees 161 schools globally, including in Fort Campbell, KY, where the Henningers live.

“My husband fights for our constitutional rights and our freedoms in this country, and to see those rights being taken away from my children was just absolutely something that I could not abide,” Henninger said.

The ACLU said in the lawsuit that the orders have caused book and curriculum purges that violate the students’ First Amendment rights. Henninger said she’s never seen this level of political interference in her children’s education before.

Nevada Library Director Resigns Under Pressure from Board, Anti-LGBTQ Activists | KUNR
Former Washoe County (NV) Library director Jeff Scott abruptly resigned before a Library Board of Trustees meeting. Trustees were supposed to go over the results of Scott's performance review. Four of the five trustees gave Scott low ratings in areas like operational management and board relations. That negative feedback led to speculation that the board would fire him, but it was nothing new. Trustee Gianna Jacks attacked Scott over his support for LGBTQ-inclusive programming and unsuccessfully pushed for his ouster in late 2023.

Families Against Book Bans Gets National Commendation | Bluffton Today
The American Association of School Librarians, through its state chapter, the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, formally recognized and commended Families Against Book Bans for its ongoing commitment to defending the intellectual freedom of South Carolina students and supporting school librarians on the front lines of censorship challenges. Families Against Book Bans is a grassroots coalition of parents, students, librarians, educators, and community members dedicated to advocating for intellectual freedom, championing educators and librarians, and promoting socially just and public education.