A School Board President’s Candid Perspective on Book Challenges

By LaTonya Williams, President, St. Joseph Board of Education, St. Joseph, MO

Starting in June 2024, I served as president of the St. Joseph school board of education during one of the most intense periods of community engagement our district had faced: challenges to school library books. What began with a handful of concerns from community members grew into robust public debate, bringing out heartfelt opinions about education, values, and the purpose of public schooling.

Earlier challenges to books in our libraries, including The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Looking for Alaska by John Green, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, and several others, had already surfaced in the summer of 2024, prompting review committees and spirited board discussions about the appropriateness of various titles for student access. Community members voiced deeply held views during board meetings, some calling for removal of specific books and others urging that access be preserved. In those prior discussions, the board chose to uphold the rights of families and educational professionals to determine what materials should be available, with an emphasis on parental choice and evidence-based review processes.

By June 2025, these conversations had set the stage for continued community interest in policy and transparency. At the board’s June 23 meeting , a regularly scheduled session that drew more attention than usual, we again navigated questions from parents, educators, and stakeholders about how decisions are made and what role review procedures play in ensuring both student safety and academic freedom.

One of the central challenges in my role was balancing respect for diverse viewpoints with a commitment to process. On the one hand were parents worried about content they felt was unsuitable for young readers; on the other were students, librarians, and advocates who emphasized the educational value of diverse perspectives and the importance of access to literature that reflects real experiences and histories.

Throughout this period, the News-Press NOW local reporting was valuable in helping the community understand the board’s actions and rationale, even amid disagreement. It was clear that the issue of book challenges was not just about individual titles, but about how our schools serve all students and respect both parental input and professional expertise.

Looking back, leading through this controversy strengthened my belief in thoughtful, inclusive leadership. It reminded me that public education thrives when community voices are heard, deliberative processes are upheld, and decisions are grounded in respect for students’ rights to explore a wide range of ideas,  even when those ideas challenge us individually. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and for the many community members who engaged constructively in our shared educational mission.

Right to Read Coalition Applauds Court Ruling to Overturn Book Ban Law

The Jackson County Court judge’s ruling to strike down Missouri’s book ban law is a victory for the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech.  As a statewide coalition, representing 60,000 Missourians, we are especially pleased that this ruling affirms and respects the role of librarians to serve students in Missouri’s schools.  
Here’s more information on the court ruling from the Kansas City Star  

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge struck down a state law criminalizing school employees for supplying “sexually explicit material” to students, ruling it unconstitutionally vague and overbroad in a five-page decision on November 17.

Jenn Baldwin, president of the Missouri Association of School Librarians, championed the ruling in a statement on Wednesday, saying it restored librarians’ “ability to support students’ literacy without fear of arbitrary enforcement.”

The law threatened librarians or other school employees who violate it with a misdemeanor, risking up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine. After it took effect, districts across the state pulled hundreds of titles from school libraries.  The now-void law, passed by Missouri lawmakers in 2022, expanded the state’s regulations on pornography to create the offense of providing explicit sexual material to a student.

A Victory for the Freedom to Read

October 21, 2025    A federal judge ordered the Department of Defense to restore all books banned in five schools at U.S. military installations, a solid first step in a long road to restoring and protecting students’ freedom to read. Several executive orders from the White House were used as justification for removing almost 600 books from Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The Stop Censoring Military Families Act would reinstate books removed from all DODEA schools and protect against future censorship. Source: PEN America

For more information A Victory for the Freedom to Read, as Judge Orders Banned Books Returned to Shelves in U.S. Military Schools – PEN America

Since 2021, PEN America has documented nearly 23,000 book bans in the U.S. public schools, many targeting stories about race and racism, or books featuring characters of color. 

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