(NEW YORK) — Utah placed a blanket ban on at least 13 books in schools, including works by Sarah J. Maas, Judy Blume, Rupi Kaur, Margaret Atwood and other authors, in what free speech advocates say is the first state book ban.
The Utah State Board of Education put together a list of titles that have met the statewide threshold for removal based on a newly enforced law.
H.B. 29, signed by Gov. Spencer Cox in March, requires all schools to remove a book if school officials from at least three school districts or at least two school districts and five charter schools have determined that a book constitutes “objective sensitive material.”
“Objective sensitive material” is defined under the law as an instructional material that constitutes pornographic or indecent material, which is further defined in Utah law as depicting or describing sex or nudity while also lacking “serious value” for minors.
This first set of removed material — that state officials say will be updated in accordance with further book restrictions — includes Forever by Judy Blume, a coming-of-age book that touches on sexuality; Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, a post-apocalyptic novel, and Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, a poetry book about “violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.”
“The Board is committed to following the law and the list will be updated if and when needed,” a spokesperson for the state Board of Education said in a statement to ABC News.
Several groups have spoken out against the banning of these books, including PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech, and Let Utah Read, a coalition of Utah residents, educators, librarians and others.
“Allowing just a handful of districts to make decisions for the whole state is antidemocratic, and we are concerned that implementation of the law will result in less diverse library shelves for all Utahns,” said Kasey Meehan, a program director for PEN America’s Freedom to Read initiative.
Advocacy groups say they fear this is just the start of “statewide book purges.”
“Unlike some legislators who are out to make political hay and use national culture war issues to divide us, Utahns understand that great American authors like Judy Blume, Sherman Alexie, and Toni Morrison are not pornographers, and no one should be criminally charged for selling, giving, or lending a book to a high school student,” Let Utah Read said in a statement, referencing other authors who have faced bans in schools across the country.
(PLYMOUTH, N.H.) — When the girls’ soccer team at Plymouth Regional High School in New Hampshire began practice on Monday to prepare for the start of the official season on Aug. 30, transgender athlete Parker Tirrell was able to join her teammates.
That’s what a federal judge ruled on Monday after the families of two transgender teens — 15-year-old Tirrell and 14-year-old Iris Turmelle — filed a lawsuit Friday, days before a new law went into effect that would have prohibited them from playing with teams that align with their gender identity.
They argued that the legislation is in violation of the teens’ Title IX rights, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational settings that receive federal funding.
“Sports has been a source of joy for her and has been the primary way she makes friends and experiences a sense of belonging and connection to others. Soccer is her real passion,” the suit said of Tirrell. “She played on the girls’ soccer team last year in ninth grade and is excited to rejoin her team when the season officially starts again.”
The suit came after Tirrell’s school reached out to the teen’s mother last Thursday, informing her that she would not be allowed to participate in soccer practice. Initial phases of the law, signed last month by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, were set to go into effect on Monday – the same day soccer practice was scheduled to start.
The new law requires schools to designate teams as boys, girls or coed. Eligibility for athletes under the law is determined based on the sex assigned on birth certificates, or “other evidence.” Gov. Sununu said in a statement following the signing. He said the bill “ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions.”
Sununu’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on Monday as it related to Tirrell’s case. In her ruling, she said the state and school district “must permit plaintiff Parker Tirrell to try out for, practice with, compete with, and play on the school sports teams designated for girls on the same terms and conditions as other girls.”
“Parker’s on her way to soccer practice now,” Chris Erchull, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and attorney representing Tirrell and Turmelle, told ABC News following the ruling. “And she is authorized to play.”
Legal representatives for the New Hampshire Department of Education Commissioner, the New Hampshire State Board of Education, the Pemi-Baker Regional School District and the Pemi-Baker Regional School Board Members did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Monday’s ruling only applies to Tirrell’s case — the lawyers filed an emergency order ahead of the first day of soccer practice, which coincided with the day the law was set to be enacted.
Turmelle, who is entering the ninth grade, played intramural tennis in middle school and plans to try out for the girls’ tennis and track teams (which are winter and spring sports) upon entering high school, according to the complaint. It notes that she hopes participation in sports will help her make more friends, establish a peer group and cope with the stresses she experiences in life.
Judge McCafferty’s order will remain in effect until the next hearing on Aug. 27, unless an extension is issued by the judge. Both Tirrell and Turmelle’s cases will be heard then, marking the first time Turmelle’s case comes before the judge.
“It’s what we expected the outcome to be because we knew we were right on the law, and we knew we were right about the rights of our plaintiffs,” Erchull said.
(CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis.) — More than two dozen people were injured, including three critically, after a wagon overturned at an apple orchard in Wisconsin, authorities said.
The incident was reported Wednesday morning at Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in Chippewa Falls.
Elementary school-age children, parents and other chaperones were on a field trip at the time and were on a wagon ride, according to Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes.
A tractor was pulling two wagons at a “low speed” on a public road when the accident occurred, Hakes said.
One of the wagons began to lose control and turn sideways as it descended a hill and overturned, resulting in injuries to both children and adults, Hakes said.
“It’s a traumatic day for a lot of people,” Hakes told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency personnel were dispatched for a “tractor accident involving two hay wagons with kids and adults,” Chippewa Fire District Deputy Chief Cory Jeffers told reporters.
The fire department activated its mass casualty protocol so that outside agencies could help respond to the incident, Jeffers said. One helicopter from the Mayo Clinic was called in, he said.
Twenty-five individuals were transported from the scene to various agencies, Jeffers said. One patient was transported via the helicopter and nine via ambulance, Hakes said. Some were also transported in personal vehicles, he said.
Three people have life-threatening injuries and five have serious injuries, according to Hakes.
Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire received seven patients from the incident who are being treated for minor to serious injuries, a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.
Hakes said he believes all patients are in stable condition.
Authorities did not release additional details on the victims, including how many were children.
Hakes called the incident “heart-wrenching.”
“As a parent myself, it’s a parent’s greatest fear that something happens to their children,” he said.
He said he responded to the scene and helped calm the children and reunite them with their parents.
“The children were extremely brave, very resilient,” he added.
The scene has since been cleared, Jeffers said. All of the children who were still at the scene have been reunited with their families, he added.
The children attended St. Mark Lutheran School in Eau Claire, the school’s principal confirmed.
“At this point, we are focusing on reuniting the children with their caregivers,” Principal Peter Micheel said in a statement to ABC News. “Whenever we face a challenging time, we commit everything to the Lord’s care and trust his guiding hand.”
The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard
ABC News left a message with the orchard seeking comment.
Chippewa Falls is located about 12 miles northeast of Eau Claire.
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul contributed to this report.