Delaware — Delaware lawmakers have introduced new legislation aimed at protecting public access to books and educational materials in schools and libraries, amid a national uptick in efforts to remove certain titles. House Bill 119, known as the Freedom to Read Act, seeks to preserve intellectual freedom by establishing clear, fair policies for reviewing challenges to reading materials. The bill outlines a formal process that ensures books remain accessible to the public during any review.
Under the proposal, public libraries and school systems would be required to adopt collection development policies that support diverse perspectives.
Books could not be removed simply because of ideological, religious, or personal objections to content or an author’s background.
The legislation also outlines appeal procedures. In schools, disputes could be escalated from the local education board to a newly formed School Library Review Committee, which would include representatives from state education and library organizations. For public libraries, appeals would be reviewed by either the Delaware Library Consortium Public Libraries Policy Steering Committee or the Council on Libraries, with final decisions made by the State Librarian.
Library employees who adhere to policy in good faith would be protected from political or ideological influence under the bill. The legislation comes as book bans rise nationally, with more than 10,000 removals reported in the last school year. The bill is currently under review by the House Administration Committee.
