The first question that needs to be answered is, what is book banning? Book banning is the process of removing books from libraries or classroom curriculums due to content related concerns. Books are commonly banned due to explicit, racial, religious, or political content. Because of this, there has been a lot of controversy surfacing on whether or not book banning is helping or harming students. There are reasons to believe both sides however it is very likely to become more harmful than helpful in the long run.

There are reasons to believe that book banning can hinder critical thinking and leave students unprepared for real world realities such as racism, mental health, and other social groups commonly facing conflict. 

In an interview conducted by First Book Research & Insights, educators express that by limiting the books students are allowed to read kids are more likely to lose interest in reading in general. There are other ways of addressing controversial books that do not involve completely removing a book from the shelf.

“We have a process where we take recommendations from students, but then we really take time to go through and look at summaries of the book, reviews, the publishers intended audience and then we decide if the the book is appropriate for our school and the overall community,” stated Lake Middle High School librarian, Mrs. Nannette Peterson. 

This process, which any schools follow, removes the risk of adult aged or graphic books being accessible to students. Furthermore, Lake Local schools curriculum director, Angel Harbaugh explains that if a book is challenged or questioned by a parent the school board can review the book and offer alternative reading options for students rather than removing the book from the library and curriculum as a whole.