Freedom to Read Celebration with Steven Pico

Celebrate your freedom to read with a special documentary screening and panel discussion!

Start the evening off with a screening of the short film FREADOM on Trial: Rights and Responsibilities in Island Trees Board of Education v. Pico. Created by Bettendorf student Adrian Gillette, this documentary explores the landmark Supreme Court case in which Steven Pico, a student at the time, became the plaintiff in what was until 2025 the only book-banning case to reach the Supreme Court. The documentary won 3rd place at the National History Day contest in 2025 and was also honored with the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Collins Road Theatres Scholarship in 2026.

Following the screening, Bettendorf Public Library Director Jillian Aschliman will host our panelists as they answer all your censorship, challenge, and freedom to read questions. Joining us on the panel are Steven Pico, Linda Smithson, and Brittany Jacobs. Submit your questions here to be considered for the panel discussion. There will also be a chance to submit questions at the event via QR code.

Meet the panelists:

• Steven Pico: 2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark book-banning case Island Trees School District v. Pico. In 1977, at age 17, Steven Pico became one of the founders of the freedom to read movement when he and four other teens sued their school district in Long Island, NY, for banning 11 books from their school libraries. The case, Board of Education v. Pico, became a landmark case in the fight against book censorship when the Supreme Court sided with the students and ruled in a 5-4 decision that “local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books." Following the Supreme Court’s decision, all 11 books were returned to the Island Trees school libraries.
• Brittnay Jacobs: Iowa Library Association President.
• Linda Smithson: Iowa School Librarian Association President-Elect.

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