What counts as a banned book?

PEN America defines a banned book as one whose previously available access has been diminished or removed by administrative action — including outright removal, classroom-only restriction, parent-permission gates, or removal from open shelves to limited request. The ALA tracks formal challenges; PEN tracks documented removals.

Who decides whether a book is removed?

It depends on the district. Most districts have a written reconsideration policy: a parent files a challenge, a committee (typically librarians plus 1-2 administrators or community members) reviews it, and a recommendation goes to the superintendent or school board. Some 2022+ state laws require automatic removal during review.

Are book bans legal in US public schools?

The 1982 Supreme Court case Board of Education v. Pico held that school boards cannot remove books simply because they dislike the ideas. But the Court split on a clear standard, and lower courts have allowed many removals citing educational-suitability rationales. The legal terrain is unsettled and varies by district.

Which states have the most documented bans?

PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024 documents the highest counts in Texas, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Per-district legislation (Florida HB 1467, Texas state library code amendments) has accelerated documented removals in those states.

What can a parent do if a book is challenged in their school?

Most reconsideration processes accept written input from any parent in the district — not just the challenger. The National Coalition Against Censorship and ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom both publish letter templates. School board meetings on the challenge are public; attending the meeting is the highest-leverage single action.

Banned books in US schools — how challenges and removals actually work

When a book is removed from a US public school library or classroom, it’s rarely a unilateral act. Most districts operate under a formal reconsideration policy — a written procedure that defines who can challenge a book, how the review happens, and what outcomes are possible. The process matters because it’s where parents who want a book to stay (or go) have actual leverage.

The formal reconsideration process

A typical district policy follows these steps:

A parent or community member files a written challenge, usually on a district form.
The book temporarily remains available (in most districts) or is removed pending review (in some 2022+ jurisdictions).
A reconsideration committee — librarians, an administrator, sometimes a teacher and parent volunteer — reads the book in full.
The committee files a recommendation with the principal or district administration.
Final decision rests with the principal, superintendent, or school board, depending on the district policy.
Appeals to the school board are typically possible if the initial decision is contested.

The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom publishes a model reconsideration policy that many districts have adopted in some form. Districts that lack a written policy or skip the formal process tend to make removals that draw legal scrutiny.

What PEN America tracks

PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans documents every confirmed instance of a book being removed, restricted, or access-limited in a US public school. The index distinguishes between:

Total removal — book pulled from shelves and classrooms
Restricted access — book limited to specific grade levels or moved to staff-request
Pending investigation — book pulled while a challenge is reviewed
Returned after review — book restored, sometimes with conditions

The 2022-2024 indices show concentrated activity in Florida, Texas, Missouri, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania, with the most-targeted titles addressing race, sexuality, gender identity, or US historical violence. Books frequently challenged in this period include Gender Queer (Maia Kobabe), All Boys Aren’t Blue (George M. Johnson), The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison), Beloved (Toni Morrison), and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie).

The legal frame

The 1982 Supreme Court case Board of Education v. Pico held that public school boards cannot remove books from libraries simply because they disagree with the ideas expressed. But the Court split 5-4 on the standard, and Justice Brennan’s plurality opinion left room for removals on grounds of “educational suitability” — a phrase lower courts have interpreted broadly.

Since 2022, several states (notably Florida and Texas) have passed laws that require schools to remove or restrict books meeting specific criteria, shifting some discretion from local librarians to state-level rules. These laws are being litigated as of this writing; some have been partially enjoined.

What parents on either side can do

Most reconsideration policies accept written input from any parent in the district, not just the original challenger. That means a parent who wants a challenged book to stay can file a written supporting statement, attend the reconsideration committee meeting (which is often public), and speak at the school board meeting where the decision is finalized.

Conversely, parents who want a book removed have the same procedural rights. The reconsideration form, the committee process, and the board meeting are designed to handle both directions equally. The friction in the system isn’t about which side you’re on — it’s about whether the formal process is being followed at all.

The ALA, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), and PEN America all publish letter templates and step-by-step guides for parents on both sides. The single highest-leverage action is attending the school board meeting where the decision is voted, where 2-minute public comments are typically heard from any district resident.

Common misconceptions

“Banned” doesn’t mean illegal. Banned books in the US school context means removed from a specific library or classroom. The books are still legal to purchase, possess, and read outside of school. A book banned in one district is often still available in the neighboring district’s schools and the public library.

Bans aren’t always permanent.PEN’s data shows a meaningful fraction of challenges end with the book restored after review. The visible “banned” headline often precedes a slower “returned to shelves” outcome that doesn’t get the same coverage.

Most school libraries fight to keep books. The reconsideration process is normally administered by librarians, whose professional ethics codes (ALA Library Bill of Rights) lean heavily toward defending access. Removals usually require a challenge to escalate past the librarian level.

To see which books have documented removals in each state, browse our banned books by state index. Each state page cites the PEN America entries and the specific districts involved.