The Des Moines Register pursued an exclusive investigation to track the impact of Senate File 496, a 2023 education law that requires library materials to be "age-appropriate" and bans most books depicting sex acts from Iowa schools.
The sweeping law also restricts curriculum about sexual orientation and gender identity through sixth grade. The Register documented nearly 3,400 book removals in Iowa due to the law, including about 1,000 unique book titles from about 600 authors.
A federal judge has blocked the state from enforcing the book and curriculum restrictions as two lawsuits remain pending. Some districts decided to reshelve the books they removed after the judge's decision; the Register documented about 1,300 books that were restored.
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