Eastern Oregon school districts respond to bill that prohibits book bans

EASTERN OREGON — Earlier this week, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 1583, which prohibits book bans at public schools and libraries.

SB1583 prohibits book bans on the basis of race, gender identity, country of origin, sexual orientation, disability and immigrant status.

“This legislation protects parents’ right to decide what their children read, free from political interference,” wrote Senator Lew Frederick (D-Portland) in a statement. “All kids deserve the opportunity to see themselves, their families, and members of their community represented in the books they read. Oregonians should get to decide what they personally read, not political agendas.”

“If you are not allowing kids to have books, and you are telling them what books they have to read or what books they can’t read, you are basically setting them up for not understanding the world we have around us,” Frederick said.

Meanwhile, Republicans that opposed the measure claimed that the bill would take away power from school boards and parents to determine what’s appropriate for kids. 

“We have heard from hundreds and hundreds of Oregonians who are deeply concerned about SB 1583. Instead of rushing into passing a contentious bill during a short session meant to address emergencies, Republicans wanted to give the discussion more time and input from parents and the public in future sessions,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). “Democrats framed this bill as an issue of discrimination, but the bigger picture is ensuring Oregon schools provide appropriate reading material to their students to enhance their educational experiences. Our minority report recognized that discrimination is wrong, and so is providing children with explicit content harmful to their development.”

Both eastern Oregon state Senators Lynn Findley and Bill Hansell voted against the bill. Elkhorn Media Group has reached out to both for comment.

Several local schools were also asked about the bill. The Baker 5J School District, Elgin School District, Hermiston School District and Pendleton School District all said they do not yet know the impact this bill will have on their policies.

The Baker, Elgin and Hermiston School Districts also added that they have not had any requests to remove books from libraries based on content.

The Pendleton School District provided this statement:

We have had a couple of parent concerns about the age appropriateness of certain books in our libraries.  In most cases we review the recommended age level for the books through a couple of nationally recognized sources and ensure the books are in the age appropriate library.  Sometimes this means moving a book from the grade school library to the middle school library, or a book from the middle school library to the high school library.  

The bill now goes to the Oregon House for consideration.

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