The Northern Justice Project, LLC, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska filed a lawsuit against the Mat-Su Borough School District (MSBSD) for the removal of 56 books from school libraries that contained ideas that the Board desired to suppress.
The suit was filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs, including six MSBSD parents on behalf of their minor children and two MSBSD students over the age of 18 who claim that the book removal violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the United States Constitution to free speech, press, and political expression.
On April 21, 2023, MSBSD removed 56 books from all of its school libraries. The removed books include classics and award winners, including Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five,” and Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner.” The removed books also include books with protagonists of color or LGBTQ+ protagonists and non-fiction reference materials discussing adolescent health and development. A full list of the removed books can be found here.
In August, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason granted a preliminary injunction and ordered the District to return nearly all titles to library shelves before the start of the 2024-2025 school year. On October 31, 2024, the MSBSD settled the case and agreed to pay plaintiffs $89,000.
