Dear St. Paul’s Families,

There is nothing better than celebrating books and reading to prepare our students for a year of learning and growth. Our commitment to giving our students access to material that serves as windows, mirrors, and doors to them and their world is unfortunately not the norm across the United States, where we are seeing the highest level of book bans and challenges to date. 

What books are being banned? Anything from Where’s Waldo to James and the Giant Peach. The overall trend includes books which center the experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) communities. In other words, books that empower marginalized communities to see themselves and their history represented. 

Our Middle School students are participating in a Banned Book Challenge in response to the censorship and bias we are witnessing. Students can read (or listen to!) any book of their choosing (not just a book that has been banned or challenged in another state) and must submit a written response describing the book and its importance. Why is it important that this book be kept in schools and libraries? In addition, students will write a letter or email to a representative or library board with a personal stance on the importance of reading freedom. 

Mx. Borjian and Ms. Dey