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My name is Ed Sanders, and I am a community member in Colorado Springs School District 11, and also a survivor of the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs. I know firsthand what the singling-out of certain groups can lead to in real life.

I am here to oppose the proposed policy changes that would grant the Board unilateral power to ban or remove books — especially those that represent LGBTQIA2+, BIPOC, or historically marginalized voices — from school libraries and curriculum.

First, this policy undermines intellectual freedom and free speech. When a few individuals decide what counts as “appropriate” or “obscene,” we risk silencing entire communities and restricting students’ right to explore ideas, to think critically, and to see themselves reflected in literature.

Books are not endorsements, but windows and mirrors: they allow students to see others’ lives, and understand their own.

Second, the proposed policy centralizes power in ways that exclude voices that matter. The new process strips away meaningful roles for students, educators, and parents in reviewing and defending books. It substitutes swift top-down decisions for thoughtful, inclusive deliberation. That concentrates control in board members — who are not experts in child development, curriculum design, or literary analysis — and removes the checks and balances that should protect against bias.

Third, this policy disproportionately attacks marginalized voices. The very books likely to be challenged are those featuring queer identities, racial diversity, or non-dominant perspectives. Eliminating or restricting them erases students’ ability to see themselves in literature, and sends a message that some stories are less valid than others. That is deeply harmful in a diverse district.

Fourth, the acceleration of this process — moving from “non-action” to “action” with minimal public notice — silences community engagement. Historically, the review process included multiple opportunities for public input before any vote. Skipping those steps is a betrayal of trust and transparency.

Moreover, the proposed policy even anticipates dozens of book challenges every review cycle, raising the risk that deliberations will be rushed or superficial.

So what I urge you to do is not reject change wholesale, but to revise this policy in good faith so that it protects free speech and inclusion rather than enabling censorship. Specifically:

  • Reinstate language requiring that the district’s library and instructional materials “reflect an embodiment of diverse perspectives, including historically underrepresented and marginalized voices.”
  • Design a reconsideration process that includes students, educators, and parents as active reviewers, not sidelines them.
  • Ensure that for every book challenged, there is at least one defender who can speak on its behalf.
  • Provide safeguards against ideological overreach—so that the power to decide what is “obscene” or “inappropriate” is not left to a few people who may act politically.

In passing a policy like this unamended, D11 risks legal challenges under Colorado’s Freedom to Read Act (SB 25-063), undermining public trust, and damaging morale among teachers and librarians who will feel pressured to self-censor. 

In closing, we must not shrink from difficult conversations. But banning books is not the answer. Instead, we must trust our educators, honor students’ voices, and preserve access to stories that uplift, challenge, and inspire. I urge you to delay a final vote until a revised version is drafted — including community feedback — and to reject any policy that allows the removal of books based on narrow definitions of acceptability.

Ed Sanders is a Colorado Springs resident and survivor of the Club Q shooting in November 2022. This article was adapted, with permission from the author, from his planned testimony for an upcoming Colorado Springs School District 11 meeting on Nov. 5.