In 2020, the liberal leaning City of Burbank banned five well-known titles: “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “The Cay” by Theodore Taylor, “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” by Mildred D. Taylor and “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. The Burbank Unified School District objected to the inclusion of these books in their schools' curriculum because according to them these titles "cast Black people in negative, hopeless, and secondary roles; and all but one are written from the lens of a White author.” By Aldon Thomas Stiles, California Black Media Nationwide, book banning is on the rise. It’s reached a 20-year high, according to the American Library Association and Unite Against Book Bans. Some of the books that have been banned include titles like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, "I Am Enough" by Grace Byers and "Maus" by Art
Some teachers have left because of the challenges of teaching during a pandemic, while others were fearful they would contract Covid-19 and some were offered higher-paying jobs. Many just burned out.