Recent book bans in public schools are being discussed all across the country, resulting in many conflicting opinions. Book bans are being instituted due to their coverage of some controversial subjects including discrimination, death, substance abuse and more.

Restricting books may impact school classrooms and libraries by limiting what students can learn. Recently, five states in the U.S. ruled in favor of a book ban in several of their school districts, resulting in 5,906 book restrictions. The ban of certain classic novels in schools is ruled to limit exposure to sensitive content for children.

“[Books] teach life lessons that are universal,” CHS English teacher Lisa Harris said. “They come from a wide variety of voices that I think all people need to be exposed to because all perspectives, all voices should be heard when we are talking about literature and experiences. It also validates a lot of our students’ experiences [when] they may not see themselves in any of the other literature.” 

Books are not only being restricted in classrooms, they are also being banned in both school and public libraries. Whether or not this type of censorship is necessary at public schools has been a serious topic of debate amongst schools and the state and federal government.

“I don’t think that those books should be restricted because they teach us a lot of important things, [such as] different values and beliefs that people have, even though some people may not necessarily agree with them,” sophomore Kirstyn Limsico said. “So I don’t think censorship is necessary, especially in schools where children are learning about different things.”

Some believe students greatly benefit from uncensored books because they cover such a wide variety of issues and topics that can not be represented by anything else. Books are psychologically and physically beneficial to children because they can improve a child’s social skills and help a child build empathy and emotional awareness.

“Books have life lessons that are universal and come from a wide variety of voices,” Harris said. 

Concerned parents and teachers remain in opposition over whether book bans should be allowed or are fair for students. 

“I believe that any kind of book is a good book,” said CHS librarian Linea Stern said. “Books are a way for people to be creative, and I think the more variety of books we have in general, [the] more opportunity for our students to read.”