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Scores of speakers urge Las Cruces school board to resist book bans, protect LGBTQ+ resources
Summary
Dozens of students, parents and educators used public comment to press Las Cruces Public Schools to keep diverse library materials and supports available, arguing representation and access are critical to student wellbeing.
More than a dozen community members, students and educators urged the Las Cruces Public Schools board during public comment on Feb. 18 to preserve library resources that depict LGBTQ+, racial and other diverse experiences and to reject efforts to remove those books from school shelves.
The comments, which ran for more than an hour and a half, came from speakers across generations — including recent graduates, current students and longtime residents — who described personal experiences showing why access to diverse materials matters. "Books matter. Reading matters," said Dana Hopkins, a Las Cruces resident who described fostering LGBT youth. "This is how our folks find each other." Hopkins spoke during the public-comment period, which the board temporarily reduced to two minutes per speaker…
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