Tell NH Governor Ayotte: VETO the book ban bill

NH Book Ban 3

Lawmakers in Concord just passed a book ban bill and it is now headed to Governor Ayotte’s desk.

SB 434 would force every school district to adopt and post a complaint policy for school materials that someone claims are obscene and harmful to minors. “Material” goes far beyond books and can include videos, websites, artwork and performances used in school.

New Hampshire already has laws and local school processes to handle concerns like this. SB 434 is an unnecessary state mandate that invites soft censorship and puts more pressure on our schools at a time when they need more support.

We trust educators to choose materials that work for our kids, our schools and our communities. Parents are not asking for sweeping book bans. Families are stretched thin. We need real solutions on school funding, child care, housing and the cost of living. Not whatever this is.

Tell Governor Ayotte to VETO SB 434 and protect our kids’ freedom to read and learn.

Dear Governor Ayotte,

As a Granite Stater and one of thousands of MomsRising members in New Hampshire, I am writing to urge you to VETO SB 434, a harmful book and materials ban.

We all agree that truly obscene material does not belong in schools. New Hampshire already has laws and local school processes to address that. SB 434 is unnecessary. Instead of solving a real problem, it forces every district to adopt and post a new complaint policy, adding burdens on schools and inviting more conflict, legal and otherwise.

Even as amended, SB 434 still raises the same concerns you named when you vetoed HB 324. It pushes subjective decisions into schools and invites costly legal fights. It also ties decisions to “community standards” that vary county by county, which is confusing and arbitrary because counties are not school communities. A child’s access to materials should not depend on county lines.

SB 434 also reaches far beyond books. Its definition of “material” covers a wide range of content used in schools, including videos, web-based content, artwork, plays, and performances. Even if only a small number of complaints succeed, the process itself can create a chilling effect where schools avoid materials altogether to dodge controversy. That is soft censorship and our kids will feel the impact.

New Hampshire families are stretched thin. We need leadership focused on school funding, child care, housing, and the cost of living, not more manufactured political fights that distract us from helping kids read, learn, and thrive.

Please veto SB 434 and stand up for local control and our kids’ freedom to read and learn.

Sincerely,

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