Schools

 NY Times - A law in Iowa that bars public schools from having books that depict sexual acts can take effect, following a ruling by federal appeals court judges on Friday.The ruling overturned a preliminary injunction issued in December by a federal judge. The case will now go back to District Court. The law, known as Senate File 496, was signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in May 2023, and bans any titles that describe sexual acts from K-12 schools, with the exception of religious texts. The law also limits instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity before seventh grade, which has led some schools to remove books that address those issues.

After the law was passed, thousands of books were banned from schools around the state, according to The Des Moines Register. Titles that have been removed include classics and popular fiction like “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker, “Looking for Alaska,” by John Green, and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood.