Parents Fighting District’s Book Removal Policy Lack Standing

A lawsuit challenging the automatic removal of contested books under a Missouri school district’s policy was dismissed because the parents behind the suit hadn’t alleged that the policy caused them a concrete injury.

Independence School District, in Independence, Missouri, permits a student, parent, or guardian to lodge a formal complaint about library materials they find objectionable, and its policy provides that, unless the material is a basic text, the questioned material will be removed from use pending committee study and final action by the Board of Education.

By denying students access to any challenged materials, the policy, according to the ...