Memo Reveals How Teachers Union Worked On Bill To Keep Sexually Explicit Books In Schools

Democratic lawmakers privately negotiated with the nation’s largest teachers union to craft a bill intended to combat bans of sexually explicit books in schools, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Right To Read Act was reintroduced by Democratic Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed in April 2023, and is intended to rebuff efforts by parents and Republican lawmakers to remove sexually explicit content from school libraries, according to a press release from the lawmakers. The bill also authorized $500 million in funding for school libraries and provides liability protections to school librarians and educators providing sexually explicit books to students.

A February 2023 letter signed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Board of Directors outlines Sen. Jack Reed’s involvement with the National Educational Association (NEA) in crafting the Right To Read Act, suggesting Sen. Reed revised the bill’s language in response to comments from the teachers union. The revisions also removed language defining a “state-certified librarian” as responsible for curating library materials, according to the letter.

The DCNF previously reported that the American Library Association, of which the AASL is a subdivision, worked with Reed and Grijalva to help craft the legislation. The letter, which was obtained through a public records request and addressed to former ALA President Lessa Pelayo-Lozada and the ALA Executive Board, suggests the NEA was advocating for paraprofessionals, not state-certified librarians, to perform the role of a school librarian.