Marshall University does not ban books! The information is provided to let people know what has been banned/challenged elsewhere.
2026
In December, Bellbrook-Sugarcreek School District (OH) removed 36 titles from school library collections. An additional 94 titles were relocated from intermediate and middle school collections to the high school library. Content warning labels indicating either “gender ideology” or “sexual content” were applied to the relocated titles. Parental permission is required for students to access titles labeled with content warnings. Restricted titles include Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. The district indicated that this censorship was undertaken to comply with Ohio House Bill 8, the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” HB8 makes no mention of school libraries. It pertains solely to materials used in classroom instruction.
On These Pages
A Banned book has been removed from a library, classroom, etc.
A Challenged book has been requested to be removed from a library, classroom, etc.
For additional information contact
Ron Titus, titus@marshall.edu
304-696-6575
Last updated
August 7, 2026