LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A judge has ordered a southern Kentucky school, among others run by the Department of Defense, to stop censoring classroom and library materials on race and gender.

The nearly 600 books cover topics including race, gender, slavery, Native American history, women’s history and LGBTQ identities.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, along with its Kentucky and Virginia chapters, on behalf of six military families.

They argued that the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) removed books, altered lessons and canceled events in response to Trump-era executive orders, violating students’ First Amendment rights.

“Removing books from school libraries just because this administration doesn’t like the content is censorship, plain and simple,” said Corey Shapiro, legal director for the ACLU of Kentucky, in a news release.

The judge’s order applies to the five schools attended by the plaintiffs. One of those schools is Barsanti Elementary School which is operated at Fort Campbell in southern Kentucky.

DoDEA operates 161 schools across seven states, U.S. territories and overseas locations. The order does not currently apply to Fort Knox Schools.

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