No one should have the right to control what library books you or your family checks out, and using an elected office and your tax dollars to push personal beliefs on your family is wrong. For decades, CADL has operated without this being an issue. But as national special interest groups continue to invade local communities like ours, extremist candidates believe they–not highly trained, award winning librarians–should have the right to decide what topics are included in our local collection. We will not stand for extremists and special interest groups deciding what books you or your children may check out or what materials your tax dollars are spent on. Who We Are Caro Fight for the First (CF4F) is a political action committee established to protect the First Amendment rights of Caro residents. We believe it is critically important to have a strong library which offers resources to support community members through every stage of their lives. Each Caro family has the right to make decisions about what library materials are right for their households, and these materials should be made available without Library Trustees deciding which ideas are ‘safe’ for the public. We strongly believe that you are the expert on what materials are right for your family, and elected officials who intend to force their personal beliefs on you and your children do not belong on a public library board. As a public library, CADL is a key partner in education, and trained librarians like those at CADL provide opportunities for lifelong learning and building relationships in the community. JOIN US I join Caro Fight For the First and pledge to: 1. Support the Caro Area District Library in its mission to connect people with the world of ideas and information. 2. Commit to showing up and speaking out (or writing) in support of intellectual freedom and a library collection that is selected by librarians who use the proven, best practices of their profession, not a small group of people who want to control what my family can read. 3. Only support Trustees who not only believe in the library’s mission, but also respect my right to decide what materials are right for my household. On the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, those candidates include:  4-Year Term: -Dawn Branding (Incumbent)  -Tom Seibert (Incumbent)  -Sam Senter (Incumbent)  -Suzanne Smith (Incumbent) Partial Term:  -Margo Hahn If you agree, please sign this petition to join CF4F, then share it with your Caro area friends and family. You will receive email updates on the campaign and volunteer opportunities. We will share candidate bios, interviews, and other helpful info on our Fight for the First page to help all Caro residents make informed decisions about the upcoming November 3rd election.  Thank you - we look forward to having you join us!

It’s already handled by professional librarians. Mohave County Library follows American Library Association and Arizona Library Association professional standards, and has a formal Review of Library Materials policy to address community concerns. This work is already performed by our team of trained, certified librarians. https://www.mohavecountylibrary.us/docs/review-of-library-materials-and-resource-policy/ It’s government overreach. Putting five elected officials in charge of which donated books reach library shelves bypasses professional expertise, wastes taxpayer resources, and delays community access to donated materials. It threatens our freedom to read. When a library is politically filtered, it is no longer a public library; it’s a censored one. True public service requires providing every resident with a professionally curated, diverse range of materials. It undermines parental rights. Arizona law gives PARENTS THE RIGHT to direct their children’s education- not the government. Restoring the existing selection process puts that choice back where it belongs: with families. Trust the experts. Respect our rights. Keep our library public.

Removing an entire board — publicly acknowledged to have followed procedure — undermines public trust, destabilizes library governance, and sets a precedent that political pressure can override established bylaws. We call on the Board of County Commissioners to reinstate the library board to safeguard the library’s mission to cultivate a thriving community by nurturing readers, empowering learners, and creating connections. Please sign and share this petition if you agree.

Public libraries and public schools are cornerstones of democracy. They exist to provide access to information, not to enforce political ideology. If states are allowed to ban books based on vague claims or political pressure, no idea is safe. Today it is books about race, gender, or history. Tomorrow it could be religion, politics, or science. Georgia residents do not want Florida-style censorship exported here. We expect our Attorney General to defend the Constitution, not help dismantle it. The right to read is not a partisan issue. It is a constitutional one.

Removing and banning books of any topic is censorship; plain and simple. We cannot allow books to be removed because it creates a slippery slope. This is a PUBLIC library paid for by taxpayers, and those taxpayers and their children have the right to read whatever books they see fit for themselves and their kids. 

Book banning has no place in our schools. Please reverse this harmful decision and demonstrate that the GKB Board values academic freedom, intellectual rigor, and the professional judgment of the people you hired to educate our children. 📚 Banning books is always on the wrong side of history.  Watch the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erUw_6kQNPw  Read more about SEA 442: SB0442.05.ENRH.pdf 

Since 2021, a small group of individuals have been challenging books at the Columbia County Libraries. Over 90% of book challenges have targeted LGBTQ+ content. At least four challenges were from a right-wing political action group. One candidate for political office even submitted a book challenge for a book that Columbia County Library didn’t even have in its possession. When librarians refused to censor, county officials rewrote library policy in September 2024, mandated the use of a Moms for Liberty-linked database (BookLooks), and moved dozens of books to the adult section. Legal experts, including the ACLU of Georgia and the Freedom to Read Foundation, have warned these actions violate constitutional rights. Even after BookLooks was abandoned, LGBTQ+ titles continued to be pushed to higher age categories. Now, Columbia County is breaking away from the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System (effective 1/1/2026). This is their last chance to get it right. The Freedom To Read Coalition of Columbia County (FTRCCC) believes families—not the government—should decide what their children read. Libraries must uphold professional standards, support free thought, and reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

State leaders have threatened our superintendent with legal action if he does not remove books they deem inappropriate from our schools. (See: Hillsborough County schools remove books after state threatens legal action | WFLA) In addition to those specifically mentioned by the state, he has pulled hundreds of titles from school library bookshelves in Hillsborough for review, using lists of books challenged in other counties (even if those books were ultimately returned to the shelves).  Up until now, whenever a book was challenged, Hillsborough used a very transparent and thorough review process that included teacher, parent, student and community input. Now, however, with hundreds of titles removed, no community input is being sought, and reviews are happening in the dark. We, the community, are not being given a say in a matter involving public schools, and parents and students most effected have no opportunity to give input on whether or not titles should stay on school library shelves. (These books are self-selected reading and are not part of school curriculums.) These actions by the state and the superintendent do not respect the rights of Hillsborough parents.

A Message to the Spanish Fort Library Board: At your most recent April 21st meeting, you discussed your intent to implement policy changes that would censor books that are vital to the Spanish Fort community. This proposed unconstitutional policy would restrict materials for minors involving “sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual ethics,” including even materials for teens that cover the topic of sexual assault.  In your discussion, the board made clear that they believe moving these materials to age-restricted sections of the library does not constitute censorship; the courts have proven this is incorrect. • PEN America v. Escambia County School Board (Florida, 2024): In this ongoing case, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the school board from restricting over 160 titles based on LGBTQ and racial themes.  • Board of Education v. Pico (U.S. Supreme Court, 1982): This landmark case established that school boards cannot restrict books simply because they disagree with the ideas contained within them. The Supreme Court ruled that such access violates First Amendment rights to access information and ideas.  • Counts v. Cedarville School District (Arkansas, 2003): In this case, a federal judge ruled that restricting access to “Harry Potter” by requiring parental permission was unconstitutional due to the restriction being based on objections to the books themes (witchcraft and the occult) rather than legitimate educational concerns, violating the First Amendment. • Read Freely Alabama v. Autauga-Prattville Public Library Board of Trustees (Alabama, 2024): In this ongoing case, Read Freely Alabama, The Alabama Library Association and local patrons filed a federal lawsuit in the Middle District of Alabama, the plaintiffs argue that the library’s policies violate the First Amendment by restricting access to constitutionally protected materials based on content and viewpoint, and are unconstitutionally vague, infringing on the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, leading to arbitrary enforcement. The plaintiffs contend that the policies disproportionately infringe on LGBTQ content and other materials.  For all of these reasons, we urge you to reconsider this policy change and uphold the constitutional rights of all Spanish Fort residents, as those rights are not subject to compromise. PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE IF YOU AGREE!  Sign this petition to send a message to the Spanish Fort (AL) Library Board and tell them to stop these unconstitutional policy changes that harm marginalized children and their families!

Books that have been in our libraries for generations are being targeted, for seemingly no reason or at least no legal reason. The Georgetown Independent School District picked books that they have deemed inappropriate and are trying to take them from students. Mrs. Cooper spoke up for her students and in return may loose her job. We need to keep books, education, and our amazing librarian safe.

As residents of Pinellas County Florida, we trust the staff at the Palm Harbor Library to provide access to books, materials, displays and programming. We want our children to have access to displays and materials that will prepare them to learn about the world around them. We believe that parents should have the final decision as to what their children read and access. Pinellas County Commissioners should not Censor and Control what Palm Harbor residents access in their library. Politicians should not push their own agendas and instead should listen to the voice of the people they serve. Please sign and share this petition if you agree.

The new policy gives ultimate decision-making about what books are added to our libraries & what books are removed from our libraries, to the Board majority. The Board rejected a requirement that they READ books before deciding their fate. The policy removes the former review committee comprised of district staff & community members, who cooperated to assess challenged books. The new policy also imposes long delays on getting *any* new books into students’ hands. A year & a half after a staged visit from a political agitator kicked off a set of book challenges, our School Board majority ignored the voices of educators, students, community members, and even the district solicitor, to push through a problematic library policy revision. Its origins remain unclear, though anti-plagiarism software identifies multiple sections directly copied from other districts. Members of our community need to know that student access to books is being delayed & restricted for a political agenda. Our certified librarians & educators are being sidelined.  Who benefits from this policy? Please sign and share this petition if you support the right to read in Pine-Richland.