Governor Phil Murphy has enacted the Freedom to Read Act, aiming to safeguard against “arbitrary” book bans and uphold the rights of students, parents, and communities within New Jersey’s schools and public libraries.
State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, with a background influenced by his mother, an English teacher, and his stepmother, a librarian, advocated for the new law throughout its legislative journey, working closely with state Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz.
Zwicker highlighted that in the 2023-24 academic year, PEN America recorded over 10,000 instances of book bans, revealing that 44% of the prohibited titles focus on characters of color or address issues of race and racism, whereas 39% feature LGBT characters or themes.
A state senator became involved in the initiative after an encounter with Martha Hickson, a retired high school librarian from the North Hunterdon schools. In 2021, she found herself at the heart of a heated controversy surrounding censorship in a school library under her management.
Educational and library governing bodies are mandated to establish and enforce policies regarding the selection of materials for schools and public libraries.
The state’s education commissioner will collaborate with the state librarian, the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, and the New Jersey School Boards Association to create a model policy.
The recent legislation offers safeguards against both civil and criminal liability for librarians and library personnel who supply materials to users in compliance with the law.