Missouri had the 3rd-highest number of school book bans in the U.S., new report finds

The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according the report from free speech group PEN America. Florida had more bans than any other state, followed by Texas and Missouri.
Updated September 21, 2023 at 9:26 AM ET

School book bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according to a new report from the free speech group PEN America, continuing what it calls a worrisome effort aimed at the "suppression of stories and ideas." Florida had more bans than any other state.

Overall, PEN America said it found 3,362 cases of book bans, up from 2,532 bans in the 2021-'22 school year.

The organization counts any move that restricts access to a book as a ban, including books removed from classrooms or libraries or both, as well as books temporarily removed while they're being challenged.

If you count only the books that have been permanently removed from school libraries and classrooms, the report's lead author, Kasey Meehan, says the increase is even more alarming. That number has quadrupled — to 1,263 books in the last school year from 333 the year before.