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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsEducationCensorshipLGBTQ+Parental RightsLibraries•••Started 4mos agoActive 11hrs ago

Should public schools be allowed to remove books from libraries if parents find them inappropriate?

School board meetings nationwide have exploded into cultural battlegrounds over which books belong on library shelves. At the heart of this conflict is a tension between "parental rights" and "intellectual freedom," specifically regarding books featuring LGBTQ+ characters or descriptions of systemic racism. Proponents argue that schools are extensions of the home and tax-paying parents should have the final say on ensuring content aligns with community values. Opponents argue that removing books is un-American censorship that shelters students from the real world and disproportionately targets minority authors.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 6.1k America voters.

35%
Yes
65%
No
24%
Yes
50%
No
8%
Yes, but bans must be strictly limited to pornography, not books discussing race or gender.
7%
No, parents can control their own child's reading, but cannot dictate what other students access.
4%
Yes, parents have the fundamental right to shield their children from sexually explicit content.
5%
No, "protecting children" is often a smokescreen for censoring marginalized voices and erasing history.
3%
No, we should trust trained librarians to curate age-appropriate collections, not political activists.

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Trend of how important this issue is for 6.1k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDDJSCY  from Michigan  answered…2mos2MO

No, "protecting children" is often used as a smokescreen for censoring marginalized voices and erasing history. In cases where concerns are genuine, parents can control their own child's reading and have the right to do so, but do not have the right to dictate what other students access.

 @BCN86QS from New Jersey  answered…3mos3MO

Yes, ban all pornographic and LGBTQ+ friendly books. Books should not be about any of that immoral stuff, instead it should be about traditional values similar to Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Fin.

 @BCT8Q4P from Louisiana  answered…2mos2MO

Abolish public schools.

 @BC69ZWM from Michigan  answered…3mos3MO

This is an oversimplification. School boards should be accountable to the people and students they serve, but they are also subject to constitutional prohibitions against viewpoint discrimination. I defer to first amendment caselaw.

 @BCK6LSD from Illinois  answered…3mos3MO

If the school agrees with the parent, yes, but the school should not be forced and not be over anything other than the book being pornagraphic

 @BDL4FB9 from Rhode Island  answered…1mo1MO

Yes, books that discuss pornography or contain sexual explicit content, gender identity, and sexuality in positive light

 @MJStevens94  from Texas  answered…4mos4MO

It depends on what parents may find inappropriate; if anything, librarians should be able to curate age-appropriate collections, rather than have parents who have their opinions on what is appropriate decide for other students what is accessible. Parents do have the right to control what their children read, but I would oppose them dictating to everyone else what other students should be able to read.

 @BF4Q57H from Kentucky  answered…5 days5D

Yes, and if the school board or parent council elects not to remove an objectionable book, then the parent still has the right to keep his or her child out of that lesson.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

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Based on 6.1k responses to this question.

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should public schools be allowed to remove books from libraries if parents find them inappropriate?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/5544409501

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