HB1043 poses a direct threat to the core mission of school libraries by conflating optional, independent reading materials with mandated classroom instruction and by systematically removing representation for diverse student populations.

The school library should be a sanctuary for exploration and a resource for all members of the school community.

By mandating the removal of resources that reflect the wonderful diversity of North Carolina public school students and their families, this bill restricts access to information and discriminates against the very children it claims to protect.

Additionally, this bill would, in fact, infringe upon parental rights, rather than protect them.

What one family prefers their student not to read, another family considers essential.

HB1043 would remove parents’ right to guide their own children’s reading.

We urge the General Assembly to recognize the distinction between mandatory curriculum and optional library resources and to protect the right of every student to find themselves and their family reflected in the books they choose to read.