Banned Books at Central York and the Students Who Fought It

Speaking Freely With the ACLU-PA

In August, staff at Central York High School were issued a long list of materials that could not be used in classroom instruction, per a ban by the district's board. What all of the resources had in common was that they were by or about people of color. After the situation became public in a story by the York Dispatch, students and staff at Central York fought back, staging multiple protests and bringing local and national media attention to the school's censorship. On September 20, the school board rescinded the ban, although the board stated that it will further review the materials later this fall. In this episode, we talk with three students and two teachers who were in the middle of the pushback against the ban. The list of banned materials is available at this link: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2021/09/14/books-and-other-resources-banned-central-york-school-board/8333108002/