"A book ban, to us, is any time a book that was previously available to a student is no longer available based on the content of the book," Meehan says.

PEN America's report found 6,870 instances of book bans in 2024 and 2025. Books bans in public schools have become a "new normal" in the U.S., escalating since 2021, according to one advocacy group.

Florida is No. 1 for book removals in public schools for the third year in a row, according to a new report released Wednesday by the national free expression group PEN America. PEN America, which has ...