The Association of University Presses (AUPresses) joins the National Coalition Against Censorship and other organizations to urge the Houston Independent School District to cancel its plan to eliminate libraries and librarian positions in its 28 schools in favor of a new model for in-school detention.
The district’s misguided action represents a clear dismissal of the certified professionals who have been wrongly vilified in conversations about book banning in Texas and across the US, yet who are uniquely trained to support student literacy and learning.
In keeping with our Association’s commitment to intellectual freedom and the advancement of human knowledge, we join in asking the district instead to affirm the importance of libraries and librarians in the education of children.