Westword: Another Colorado institution is flirting with book banning. According to the Library Research Service, challenges to materials and services in this state shot up 500 percent from 2021 to 2022, from 20 challenges to 120. The American Library Association estimates that 1,269 challenges were reported nationally in 2022, giving Colorado the dubious distinction of being home to close to 10 percent of all library complaints that year.

Now the state can add the Elizabeth School District, which serves nearly 2,400 students in Elbert County, to the list of places embracing book bans.

Of course, the Elizabeth School District isn’t using that term; the word “ban” doesn’t appear in the “Request for Board Action” issued by ESD Chief Academic Officer Kim Moore, asking the school board to approve a protocol for “flagging” books that include “sensitive topics.”

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