SALEM, Ore. — In Oregon, there are laws in place that require public school textbooks and other instructional materials to cover diverse people and opinions that shaped the country and the state. Now a new bill, Senate Bill 1583, aims to push back against book bans by prohibiting discrimination. The proposal comes as librarians report a rise in efforts to ban books, both in Oregon and nationwide.
"The bill is actually quite simple," said sponsor Sen. Lew Frederick. "It says that a school official cannot prohibit materials because the materials concern a class of people identified in our education anti-discrimination laws. In other words, you cannot ban a book because the book involves folks from marginalized communities."
Although hundreds submitted testimony online, Tuesday's public hearing provided an opportunity to testify in person in Salem.
"Students don't need to be protected from the truth," said one teacher. "Rather, they need to learn the truth in order for them to navigate a complex world, and if they understand historical injustices, they're better prepared to recognize, address, and repair injustice they encounter today."
Another person shared their support for the bill.
"Students aren't required to read every book in the library, but it's essential that they have a choice of books that connect them to the world," they said.
Several people also expressed strong feelings against the bill and questioned if it's even necessary.
"This bill, as others have spoken, is redundant," said one opponent. "We already have plenty of safeguards. We don't need more."
Some believe this bill would take away power from school boards and parents to determine what's appropriate for kids.
"This bill conveys distrust and disrespect for parental and community involvement," said another. "This will further alienate Oregonians from the public schools."
Librarians also spoke up and voiced their approval of such a bill. Miranda Doyle works as a freelance librarian for school districts in southern Oregon. She said librarians follow book selection policies, and they look for positive reviews while making sure the books are appropriate for the grade levels.
"We have selection policies that we follow, and we look for positive reviews, we make sure [the books] are appropriate for that grade level that we're putting them in the libraries," she said,
"But there is always that thought in the back of our heads now, 'Are we going to get challenged?' This important, well reviewed, excellent book ... if we buy this, are we going to have to deal with banning?"
Other advocates emphasized that the proposal isn't taking away control from parents, from schools, or from school leaders.
"It's actually not such a big shift, so I think that people just need to really read it and comprehend it a little bit more," said Jessica Maravilla, the policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon
There will be a work session for the bill on Thursday. If it ends up passing the Senate, the bill will move to the House Education Committee, where people who are either for, against, or neutral will have another opportunity to testify in front of lawmakers.