Two members of the public urged the Gilbert Public Schools governing board to oppose book bans and keep challenged books available in school libraries.

Isabel Guzman, who identified herself as a district resident, told the board she is "increasingly concerned" about efforts to remove books and urged the district to "keep books on our school library shelves, and let parents, not pressure groups, decide what books their children can read." Guzman cited data from PEN America and the American Library Association that, she said, show many targeted books are by authors of color or LGBTQ authors and that "72% of requests to remove books from school and public libraries come from well organized political pressure groups and from government officials, not from parents." She added that libraries provided her with access to books she otherwise could not afford and called them "a gift of learning, exploration, and discovery."

Liz Costanzo Lee, who introduced herself as a parent and a librarian with 25 years' experience, said banning books "doesn't protect our children, it limits them" and warned that removing books sends students a message about whose stories "matter." Costanzo Lee referenced challenged-book lists and gave the example of Jodi Picoult's 19 Minutes, noting the prevalence of school gun-violence incidents and arguing that books can help students process complex realities. "When students can't see themselves or their families in the books they read, we send a damaging message about their worth," she said.

Both speakers asked the board to trust educators and parents to guide student reading and to resist pressure to remove books. Board members did not take action on the comments during the meeting; the board's admonition on open public comment procedures and the statutory admonition under A.R.S. § 38-431.02 were read before the public-comment period.