ACLU sues Missouri school district over book removal policy

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — The ACLU of Missouri is suing a suburban Kansas City school district over its policy of automatically removing any library material from school libraries after it is challenged. Under the current policy of the Independence School District, a library material is removed until a committee evaluates it and the school board votes on whether to keep it. The ACLU argues the policy violates students’ First Amendment rights by preventing them from accessing books without prior notice and with no process to appeal. The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of four district parents after the school board voted to remove a book from elementary school libraries because it included a nonbinary character.