Oregon Senate passes legislation that would make it harder to ban books in school libararies

JOANNA HOU/Willamette Week

SALEM — In the 2023-24 school year, the Oregon State Library reported the highest number of challenges to books and other materials in libraries and schools since 1987, when it first began collecting data.

On Monday, the Oregon Senate responded by passing Senate Bill 1098 in an 18-10 vote. The bill, which now goes to the House, would ward off book bans in school libraries based exclusively on the book containing mentions of race, sex, religion or any other group protected by law in Oregon.

All senators voted on party lines, except Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, who sided with Democrats. Two members (a Republican and Democrat) were excused.

In Oregon, the state library reported 87 percent of titles challenged were about one or more underrepresented groups, 66 percent focused on LGBTQ+ people, and 22 percent were about Black, Indigenous or people of color. Those trends match up with a nationwide book-banning movement.

“Discriminatory book bans in schools — and the censorship that goes along with them — undermine Oregon values, and prevent students from learning about the history, experiences, and viewpoints of all communities,” Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, one of the bill’s chief sponsors, said in a statement.

The bill would also require people filing complaints about books to be connected to the school. Senate Democrats said it would still allow school community members to make decisions about materials based on criteria like age appropriateness, vulgarity and educational value.

In a neutral statement to legislators, state librarian Wendy Cornelisen wrote the government branch believes challenges to titles in the state have been underreported.

“Despite the anonymity of the reporting process, staff also may decline to report for fear of political blowback, job repercussions, or media attention on their organization,” she wrote.

She added many challenges have been handled “quietly” by removing materials from libraries with no review process, and that teacher-librarian staffing shortages only complicate the process.

Senate Republicans mostly opposed the bill, which they said took away agency from individual communities to make decisions for their students. In a proposed amendment to the bill that failed 11-17, they argued that it was up to local districts to control their materials and that there were inappropriate books that shouldn’t be shown to kids.

“We need parents to encourage their children to read from school libraries without having to worry about them finding inappropriate books on their shelves,” Sen. Noah Robinson, R-Cave Junction, said in a release.

Republicans also said there were bigger problems for Oregon to face on the reading front. Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, said the state should focus on improving “abysmal” reading and math scores.

“Right now, three out of four eighth graders in Oregon can’t read at grade level,” Weber said in a release. “That’s a crisis. Instead of tackling real problems, Democrats passed a bill that expands government control and keeps inappropriate books on school shelves. Our kids deserve better.”