Anti-censorship advocates champion college students’ rights to a sturdy public schooling and huge entry to a various, inclusive array of supplies of their public faculties and public libraries. The curriculum and supplies should symbolize the truth of the world round younger folks and supply the instruments, abilities, and perception into the world into which they’ll turn out to be adults.
Scholar activists have been engaged in pro-library, pro-public schooling, and anti-censorship work in each technology the place such work is critical. It’s not totally different now. Scholar teams, a few of that are highlighted right here, right here, and right here as a part of the place and the way anybody can get entangled in anti-censorship work,
One group making its voices heard loud and clear already in 2025 is College students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). SEAT is a student-led motion to make sure that scholar visibility is on the forefront of academic coverage, and so they’ve been advocating for scholar rights for over two years. SEAT’s first act of 2025? Delivering a Scholar Invoice of Rights to over 1,200 Texas policymakers the week previous to the opening session.
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SEAT’s Scholar Invoice of Rights was created with the enter of over 100 college students throughout the state, representing a spread of ages, backgrounds, genders, political opinions, identities, and extra.
“We know firsthand where the faults in our education are because we see them every day. We can envision what an ideal education system can look like,” mentioned Hayden Cohen (they/them), SEAT State Coverage Director and college scholar in Houston, in a press launch. “This legislative session will be an uphill battle for students. We are telling the people who represent us, our legislators, that we’re not staying silent in any fight. We will harness our collective power.”
“The Student Bill of Rights represents a moment where we, as students, are asserting our fundamental right to have a seat at the table,” added Grace Ding (she/her), SEAT Analysis Director and Katy ISD scholar. “Student voices have been silenced far too long in decisions affecting our educational realities. Our declaration is the product of diverse student perspectives across Texas coming together to envision a future that serves all of us.”
There are eight factors within the Scholar Invoice of Rights, alongside a pull quote from what every means:
Company to make selections in schooling
“Students are the primary stakeholders in education, but we are traditionally excluded from policy-making decisions in school boards and the state legislature. Officials cannot best represent students when they cultivate a “power over” relationship as an alternative of “power with” college students.”
Prime quality public schooling for all
“Students deserve the right to school libraries that provide access to resources and knowledge, in the form of books, the Internet, guidance by librarians, and more. Libraries and classrooms shall be boundless for fostering exploration, imagination, and possibility.”
Secure and welcoming faculty environments conducive to development
“Gun violence is a public health epidemic and a reality for Generation Z and Alpha. These cycles of violence do not need to be a broken record. We are ready to turn the page toward safe storage measures and preventing guns from ending up in the hands of anyone in crisis or who has made threats of violence toward themself or others.”
Freedom of expression in a pluralistic, multicultural democracy
“As lawmakers seek to blur the separation of Church and State, public schools must support students secularly and without enforcing religious customs. We should, however, learn of diverse world faiths and defend students’ individual right to religious liberty. Nationalism, especially bolstering religious doctrine, undermines faith and education.”
Holistic scholar care to help well being and well-being
“Entering school each day, students bring a reflection of our personal lives into the classroom. Regardless of socioeconomic status, wraparound services fulfill student needs and steer us on a track to success, fostering better social and learning environments for all.”
Truthful, crucial, and substantive curriculum
“We should trust the expertise of librarians and educators to curate age-relevant and educationally-suitable collections. Interest groups and politicians with ulterior motives should not hold greater authority over the autonomy of all families in a school system.”
To be leaders of at the moment, not solely of tomorrow
“We must actualize power for civic leadership, navigating interpersonal conflict, and building professional relationships. We must be aware of our elected officials at all levels of government and understand that we play a critical role as a Fourth Branch of government. Learning how to engage in civic institutions through voting and public engagement will help us shape, not merely inherit, the world we wish to live in.”
Streamlined and personalised pathways for lifelong studying
“Schooling is a life-long endeavor. Alternatives for Increased Schooling have to be reasonably priced, accessible, and student-oriented.
There isn’t a singular or appropriate path for college students. Schooling ought to problem us to be the perfect of ourselves whereas concurrently handing us the keys to our personal tutorial, social, {and professional} journeys.
Districts ought to present classroom instruction and hands-on experiences for studying Profession and Technical Schooling.”
Under, discover a quick dialog with the members of SEAT. I spoke with members of the group about their groundbreaking Scholar Invoice of Rights proposal, the student-led work they’re seeing and inspired by all through the nation, and their largest considerations coming into the brand new 12 months and new administration.
College students, together with these from SEAT, participate within the New York Public Library’s Freedom to Learn Rally in fall 2024. Picture courtesy of SEAT.
Are you able to give a short introduction and historical past of SEAT? What was the second if you knew you wanted to develop a statewide youth-led advocacy group and what/the place have you ever been working collectively since your preliminary founding?
SEAT, or College students Engaged in Advancing Texas, is a youth-driven initiative that fosters civic participation, promotes fairness, and drives systemic change by way of coverage advocacy and academic reforms.
After a 12 months of elevating scholar voices at college board conferences within the battle in opposition to e book bans and Web censorship in Katy ISD, our founders knew we would have liked to handle native points in an interconnected motion. SEAT was formally established in November 2022 to launch our collective engagement throughout the 2023 Texas Legislative Session. Throughout this crucial interval, we mobilized to problem the HB 900 e book ban and advocate for inclusive laws that upheld youth rights throughout Texas.
Our efforts centered on advancing fairness and bettering shared experiences inside academic, home, and social contexts. Regardless of the eventual passage of HB 900 and different payments later proving detrimental to us as youth, we acknowledged the enduring want for a platform to amplify scholar voices and help the continued battle in opposition to systemic inequities. These legislative outcomes highlighted the pressing necessity for sustained advocacy, and now we have grown tremendously from collective scholar management.
Since our founding, now we have expanded our work past addressing native and state points, taking our advocacy efforts to the federal stage. Our unwavering mission is to make sure that college students’ voices are centermost in schooling decision-making and instrumental in shaping the insurance policies that impression our schooling and broader societal experiences.
What was the impetus for making a Scholar Invoice of Rights and delivering it to Texas policymakers?
The Scholar Invoice of Rights instantly responded to rising inequities and systemic obstacles in Texas faculties, from e book bans and curriculum restrictions to underfunded public schooling. We knew a coverage agenda can change to satisfy wants of the current day, however we needed to ascertain beliefs for what college students deserve. Authored by proud younger Texans with broadly complete backgrounds—together with aspiring educators, future Armed Forces members, and college students of numerous faiths—this Invoice represents a dedication to uphold the values that outline our state and nation. As college students, we see ourselves as the way forward for Texas, and investing in our schooling, our voices, and our participation in democracy is an funding within the state’s future.
Impressed by the rules enshrined within the U.S. Structure and Invoice of Rights—which safeguard liberties and empower “We the People”—our Scholar Invoice of Rights displays these founding beliefs. By means of statewide listening classes, surveys, and collaborations with scholar leaders from numerous communities, we crafted a doc embodying younger Texans’ aspirations and frustrations. Delivering the Scholar Invoice of Rights to policymakers was an act of advocacy and civic accountability, a step towards forming a extra equitable and inclusive Texas. At SEAT, we’re dedicated to upholding our shared responsibility to create a greater future for all Texans. Collectively, we ask: What sort of leaders do we wish our fellow college students to turn out to be?
What are you most fearful about in terms of scholar rights within the coming legislative session in Texas? Within the US extra broadly?
In Texas, the upcoming legislative session poses important challenges, together with potential expansions of e book bans, restrictions on instructing correct historical past, and the introduction of college voucher applications that threaten to divert important funding away from public schooling. We’re deeply involved about insurance policies that not solely silence marginalized voices, similar to LGBTQ+ college students and college students of shade, but additionally exacerbate inequities for these in underfunded faculties.
Efforts to suppress student-led advocacy and restrict entry to assets that mirror numerous views, as we noticed with the impression of SB 17’s DEI ban on public universities throughout the state, current additional obstacles to academic fairness and civic engagement. College districts statewide have been difficult Title IX nondiscrimination protections for transgender college students, and faculty boards have proposed dangerous anti-trans insurance policies. We’re preventing again.
Nationally, the erosion of democratic values in schooling is troubling, as seen within the proliferation of anti-censorship legal guidelines, the rollback of range initiatives, and assaults on scholar free speech. Rising authoritarian traits threaten to create an atmosphere the place college students really feel disempowered and unheard. Our work focuses on guaranteeing these rights stay protected and that scholar advocacy continues to flourish regardless of these hurdles.
Scholar members from SEAT attended the June 2024 Cy-Truthful ISD board assembly to debate censorship in public schooling. This assembly mentioned censorship of science textbooks–board members voted on the earlier to take away chapters from scholar science books on subjects associated to local weather change. Picture courtesy of SEAT.
What wins has SEAT celebrated? What student-led wins outdoors of Texas and SEAT have you ever been inspired and impressed by?
We’re proud to have developed the Struggle Guide Bans Act, launched to Congress by Rep. Maxwell Frost and Sen. Cory Booker. We’re hoping to reintroduce this laws within the new Congress to proceed preventing for a safeguard in opposition to the motion to censor. In the meantime, now we have distributed lots of of banned books to college students throughout Texas, donated by publishers, non-profits, and clients of native bookstores.
At school districts like Fort Price ISD, we’re happy with scholar efforts we spearheaded with SEAT organizers like Emma-Eliz Barberena to return 90+ books to high school cabinets. We’re displaying up the place selections are made and demonstrating our energy as youth.
We’ve partnered with coalitions throughout Texas to close down quite a few makes an attempt to go vouchers within the Texas Legislature, and we’ve achieved the identical in class districts the place they try and go anti-transgender insurance policies. We’ve filed authorized motion to uphold Title IX nondiscrimination protections and the First Modification, and we’re making headway as a peer-mentor community of 100+ unstoppable scholar.
SEAT is endlessly awed by scholar leaders and initiatives nationwide, together with DAYLO in South Carolina, Kentucky Scholar Voice Workforce, Golden State Readers, chapter leaders of NCAC’s Scholar Advocates for Speech, and the 2024 Banned Books Week Youth Honorary Chair Julia Garnett. Our voices are highly effective and alter the world, one story and one motion at a time.
What can different youth-led teams targeted on honest schooling, anti-censorship, and rights to democratic engagement do to have their voices heard in our present sociopolitical atmosphere? The place and the way can these most harmed by the present laws and methods do the work safely and successfully?
Youth-led teams can amplify their voices by constructing coalitions, leveraging social media for consciousness campaigns, and interesting in direct advocacy with policymakers. Storytelling is a robust instrument—private narratives can humanize points and drive change. We’ve efficiently leveraged intergenerational grownup allies and professionals by combining our distinctive views and techniques with their material experience and experiences. This unified method, pushed by a imaginative and prescient for change that honors the previous and propels the current, has pushed our efforts ahead. Moreover, we’ve strategically utilized media to amplify our message and lengthen our attain.
Security should come first for these most impacted by dangerous laws. This implies creating areas for mutual help, organizing by way of trusted networks, and utilizing digital instruments to attach and mobilize. Collaborating with established advocacy organizations can even present assets and safety whereas amplifying their efforts.
The place and the way can adults in Texas assist to make sure legislators take the Scholar Invoice of Rights significantly?
Guaranteeing legislators take our Scholar Invoice of Rights significantly lies within the actions of allies who present up—each in presence and help. By attending hearings, writing to legislators, and advocating alongside college students, allies can lend the credibility and weight that solely collaboration throughout generations can present. Referencing our Invoice of Rights in conferences with lawmakers or in skilled settings provides energy to scholar voices. Guaranteeing scholar enter, engagement, and company is concerned in decision-making–in each initiatives and coverage–is crucial for valuing scholar voice. Financially backing youth teams like SEAT is equally crucial; this funding ensures these organizations have the assets to maintain and amplify their work. The query we should ask ourselves is: What sort of message are we sending to our legislators and communities if we fail to indicate up for the subsequent technology at the moment?
How can adults who care about scholar rights in schooling help you and different youth-led teams like yours throughout the US?
Intergenerational allies can help by mentoring younger advocates, offering skill-based, monetary, or logistical assets, and creating platforms for centering youth voices. Being an upstander means difficult dangerous stereotypes, addressing the true points college students face, and breaking down obstacles that perpetuate inequity. Allies can foster understanding by educating their friends concerning the crucial significance of youth-led advocacy and its transformative potential.
Moreover, adults ought to encourage civic schooling, guaranteeing that younger folks perceive their rights and the way to train them successfully. By fostering intergenerational partnerships, we are able to create a united entrance for fairness and justice in schooling.
The rest you’d like so as to add?
Scholar advocacy isn’t just concerning the future—it’s concerning the current. Younger individuals are already main, organizing, and making a distinction. SEAT exists to amplify these efforts and remind the world that college students are highly effective change brokers.
To all college students studying this: your voice issues. To all grownup allies: your help is invaluable. Collectively, we are able to construct a future the place each scholar’s rights are revered and their potential is absolutely realized.
Guide Censorship Information for January 17, 2025
Midland Public Libraries (TX) will now have citizen-led teams deciding what’s or isn’t acceptable within the supplies for kids and teenagers. Excellent solution to delegitimize the work achieved by skilled library staff, half 50000.
4 extra books are on the chopping block from all public faculties in South Carolina.
A brand new coverage in Pine-Richland College District (PA) would give the ability of creating last selections over e book bans to the varsity board. Discuss a simple solution to get extra books banned. The assembly over this coverage final week went on for practically seven hours. A gathering this week was rather less prolonged, nevertheless it resulted within the superintendent stating the coverage was too excessive (it could mainly ban use of books not “generations old”) and the board electing to not make a last resolution. That assembly additionally resulted within the YA e book Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink being pulled from use in ninth-grade lecture rooms. Pink’s novel is concerning the historic 1921 Tulsa bloodbath.
“Penguin Random House, along with national free expression organization PEN America, said in a Tuesday letter to the Escambia County School Board [FL] that the decision to remove “Too Bright to See” by Kyle Lukoff from its libraries represented “further steps to restrict Escambia County students’ right to read and put their ability to learn in jeopardy.” Learn extra right here.
A small contingent of fogeys in Plattville, Wisconsin, complained concerning the traditional suspects and now, a supplies evaluate committee is listening to them of their work to find out whether or not or to not ban their use in center faculties. Sigh.
Katy Unbiased College District (TX) denied college students entry to over 400 LGBTQ+ themed books, regardless of these books not being formally “banned.” Nonetheless e book censorship, people.
Because of the exhausting work of native library supporters on the bottom, the Livingston Parish Public Library’s (LA) board will probably be utterly eliminated and a brand new board will probably be sworn in.
Rutherford County Colleges (TN) have voted to take away a number of extra books from faculty libraries and will probably be placing an opt-in restriction on a number of extra. Among the many titles requiring mommy or daddy’s permission is Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Cherished Earlier than, so there’s that.
It’s the playbook working as deliberate. In Monroe County Libraries (GA), some “concerned citizens” had been mad about LGBTQ+ books they discovered within the public library. Conveniently, the board could have three new members who will probably be deciding the destiny of mentioned books. Observe the road about there solely being 4 LGBTQ+ books within the kids’s assortment.
“Responding to county commissioners’ concerns that children had too easy access to what they called “disturbing” materials, the fee’s Library Advisory Committee on Tuesday started discussing potential modifications to the foundations for the place books are positioned on cabinets and the way they could be checked out.” That is the Pasco County Public Libraries in Florida. That is referred to as Censorship with a giant C, because the complaints got here from the county fee (aka the federal government). Bear in mind the half about “we only care about books in school libraries?” Right here’s extra proof on high of the mounds we have already got that that line was nothing however a lie.
Fairhope Metropolis Council (AL) reappointed three members to the library board who had turn out to be targets of Clear Up Alabama (aka, the e book banners).
Murfreesboro Colleges (TN) banned the e book It Feels Good To Be Your self.
The Eight Circuit court docket is taking on a difficulty of e book bans in prisons and what First Modification Rights these experiencing incarceration have in terms of e book entry.
A take a look at e book censorship because it performs out in components of New Zealand.
Nassau Colleges (FL) have seen 34 new e book challenges–and conveniently, lots of these titles are the identical ones that they just lately settled a lawsuit about and had been ordered to return to cabinets.
Sarasota Colleges (FL) held a board assembly this week to debate science books. Do you know that some science books have needed to have practically 100 pages eliminated to satisfy Florida requirements, which implies something associated to local weather change has been censored? You do now.
In a college-level class in Kalama College District (WA), an English educator used the graphic novel Enjoyable House. A junior within the class took a photograph of a intercourse scene within the e book and despatched it to their mother, who did the one mature factor about it–complained on Fb. The problem to the e book’s use was not permitted, and the district mentioned there was no agenda in why the e book was used. So it may be used.
The state of Idaho is contemplating a ban on all flags in faculties, aside from the US and Idaho state flags. This state authorities hates homosexual folks and Black folks a lot.