To authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants to local educational agencies to cover the costs of challenges to determinations not to discontinue the use of specific instructional materials, or the availability of specific school library materials, in public elementary and secondary schools, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 25, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
The Fight Book Bans Act would authorize the U.S. Secretary of Education to provide federal grants to school districts that incur legal costs when defending their decision to keep books or instructional materials in schools despite challenges from parents or community members. School districts could receive up to $100,000 per case to cover expenses such as attorney fees and court costs when they choose not to remove a book or material and that decision is then appealed or challenged. The bill specifies that the grant process must be content-neutral and viewpoint-neutral, meaning the Secretary cannot consider what the disputed material actually says when deciding to award funds. The legislation authorizes $15 million in total federal funding for the grant program across fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
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