Censorship in American Schools
You may not realize this but our government plays a large role in governing what sort of information America’s children are exposed to. The average American child receives the majority of their knowledge and education from school, so the information that is allowed to be taught is a very delicate and controversial issue. Literature is often altered or banned from public schools and libraries because they contain of vulgar language, excessive violence, or connotations of drugs and sex. The reasoning behind this is that these are potentially dangerous ideas, and if children were to be exposed to them that they would be corrupted and manipulated by them. There is a contradictory school of thought on the subject which says that censorship itself is a form of manipulation, and is a greater evil than anything a student might learn in a book. The problem is that Censorship does not allow children to reason and think for themselves. They are not given free choice to decide on what is or isn’t moral behavior, it is decided by a higher power. This speech will explore both sides of this matter in a factual, unbiased manner, so that you may decide for yourself an opinion on the issue.
What does the law say on matters of censorship in schools? The most recent Supreme Court Decision on the matter took place in April of 1983. Matthew N. Fraser a student at Bethel High School in Pierce County, Washington delivered a speech to his fellow class mates that contained several sexual metaphors and innuendos. Matthew was in turn suspended from school for three days. The issue of free speech was brought up, and the case was brought before the Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor of the School, and the su...
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...hat sort of information that there child has access too, but they certainly shouldn’t have the right to regulate it for the rest of the children in the classroom. How can one censor know what is best for all children. Edward B. Jenkinson, the author of Censors in the Classroom writes that, “I do not think that a book or film should be thrown out because it offends the sensibilities of a few who may or may not have read the entire work. Our children should be free to think, free to challenge, and free to make their own decisions.”
Conclusion : Hopefully now you have gained a better understanding about the role that censorship plays in America’s schools. It is a guiding factor that influences the minds of the future, and must be treated accordingly. The purpose of this speech is only to raise awareness about this issue, so that we can change it for the better.
This case involved a public high school student, Matthew Fraser who gave a speech nominating another student for a student elective office. The speech was given at an assembly during school as a part of a school-sponsored educational program in self-government. While giving the speech, Fraser referred to his candidate in what the school board called "elaborate, graphic, and explicit metaphor." After his speech, the assistant principal told Fraser that the school considered the speech a violation of the school's "disruptive-conduct rule." This prohibited conduct that interfered with the educational process, including obscene, profane language or gestures. After Fraser admitted he intentionally had used sexual innuendo in the speech, he was told that he would be suspended from school for three days, and his name would be removed from the list of the speakers at the graduation exercises.
What makes censorship her overall main idea and thesis is that she puts in the article and states how she is involved in the National Coalition Against Censorship by stating this fact makes us a reader feel and be given that she is dead serious on the topic of censorship and that she feels strongly about It. Also list current teachers like Gloria pipkins who was award winning English program was targeted by the censors for using adult literature ,Cecilia lacks was fired by a high school in st.louis for letting her students creating writing express the language by using words they heard outside of school. Another point that censorship is the overall main idea and premise of this article is that the parents of the young teens and adolescence are pressuring the schools to remove her books form the school and banned they form the curriculum because of questionable content and explicit material
The practice of the censorship of books in schools has been prevalent due to the explicit content of them. Parents have been complaining to schools about books that count as required reading because they disapprove with the points made in the book. If a book consists of offensive or sexually explicit material, then parents would challenge the schools about them in order to prevent their children from reading them. Censorship in general has been an intensely debated issue because it is considered an infringement to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution while others argue it is used to conceal inappropriate things (Aliprandini and Sprague). The banning of books in school curriculum has also been debated since parents see certain books as inappropriate while others argue that banning them hinders student learning. Against the censorship of books in schools, Fenice Boyd and Nancy Bailey, authors of Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, believe that banning books creates a barrier between students and intellectual development (Boyd and Bailey, 655). Banning books from schools and removing them from the curriculum prevents students from exploring different ideas and developing creativity and critical thinking skills.
...l problem with censoring is that it limits a person’s freedom of speech and thought. By not providing them with all of the different ideas or stories available, what they can think of themselves is limited. While the parents who protested Lord of the Flies may have had their children’s best interests in mind, in the end it would only hurt them. Only by allowing them to learn all that is possible will they be able to accomplish all they can and society can truly progress.
Foerstel, Herbert N. Banned in the U.S.A.: a Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994. Print.
As the American Library Association notes, books are usually banned "with the best intention…to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." (Brunner). If a book has frightening or controversial ideas in them, adults willing often censor that book from children. From 2000 to 2009, of the 5,099 challenges that were reported, 1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries and 30 challenges in academic libraries. (Frequently Challenged Books). At various times in American history, even some of the tamest books have been banned. Harriet the Spy, was banned because it supposedly taught children to "lie, spy, back-talk, and curse." Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was banned for being too depressing. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein, was banned because it might encourage kids to break dishes so they won't have to dry them. (Frequently Challenged Books). While some of these excuses are more reasonable than other excuses, the banning of these books prevents the children from empathizing...
In this case, the court ruled that the administrators of schools can edit the content of school newspapers. This court case is just one of the many examples of how the schools are able to sway and control what their students say and what they see, which makes a big impact on the First Amendment rights of all the students who read and who have to write the newspaper. Another case that supports the research question is Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser, 1987. This case specifically points out that students do not have the rights to make obscene speeches in school.
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) defines censorship as: “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials… of images, ideas, and information…on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor” (Miner 1998). In schools there are three types of censorship, one type is a “parent who doesn’t want their child to read a particular book. Another is a parent, teacher, administrator, or school board member who argues that no one in the class, or school should read the book in dispute. Lastly, there is censorship that involves someone who is part of an organized campaign, whether of a local or national group, and who goes in ready for a fight and wants to make a broader political point” (Miner 1998). Although there are many others ways that a piece of literature could get censored, most censored works are asked to be removed from classrooms and school libraries.
Book banning is a prime target for censorship. Censorship in print media, notably book banning, occurs across homes, schools, stores, and other facilities daily. Censorship in the schools is the most widespread and exposed place for book banning. Do administrators and school boards have the right to ban books? Are we taking away the rights of children to read? In case of Island Trees Schools District V. Pico in New York, the Supreme Court gave the school board broad discretion to frame curriculum and teach civic and moral values. This case resulted in the school board removing ten books from the school library for being "anti-american, anti-christian, anti-semitic, and just plain filthy." Another case involving book banning was Hazelwood School District V. Kuhlmeier. In this case the Supreme Court again gave school officials the broad discretion to control curriculum. This time the court left open the question if this affects the school libraries. In Olathe, Kansas, the district's superintendent made the decision to remove all copies of Nancy Gardner's Annie On My Mind because of it imposing views for gay actions. This standpoint resulted in a public book burning by a homophobic community group. At Hempfield High School in Western Penn...
Issues of censorship in public schools are contests between the exercise of discretion and the exercise of a Constitutional right. The law must reconcile conflicting claims of liberty and authority, as expressed by Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter in Minersville School District v. Gobitis, 1940 in “Banned in the U.S.A.: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries” by Herbert N. Foerstel (23).
The result, however; is always and ever the denial of another's right to read. The censors are mostly parents and other community residents of all backgrounds, political and religious beliefs, who are sincerely concerned about the reading habits of today’s children. The situation leads to the personal standard of what one parent or small groups of parents, being mistaken for a community standard. A minority ends up dictating the silent majority. That goes against all of America’s basic freedoms.
Walt Whitman once said, “The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book.” Between the years 2000 and 2009 a total of 3200 books were challenged in school libraries in an attempt to expurgate, or censor, the content in books provided to students. Today the trend of censorship continues as popular novels such as The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, and Captain Underpants are censored from schools across the nation (Challenges by Reason).Censorship in regards to literature refers to the examination and suppressing of a book because of objectionable material. The process of censorship in school libraries often begins with an outspoken parent, teacher, student, or administrator and ends in the banning or abridgement of a novel deemed inadmissible. Censorship is protecting many students from controversial, immoral, and potentially unsuitable content; however, this is not always the case. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators with different backgrounds, beliefs, and morals are not creating a library pleasing to everyone because of the variety of opinion. Censorship in school is not justifiable, because it restricts discussion and knowledge of new, controversial, and necessary ideas, allows a handful of people to make decisions for a larger group based on opinion, and undermines democratic ideals.
Censorship is “the restriction or removal of information, or the prevention of free expression” (Taylor 8). There are many things that can be censored such as books, movies, TV shows, newspapers, and the way people dress. People censor things for a number of reasons- they do not agree with it, find it offensive, or think that it is just inappropriate in general. Different people consider different things inappropriate, so the content of what is censored varies. Anyone can censor, including parents, teachers, school officials, and board members (Taylor 8-10) Many things are censored in schools and places where children are present because parents do not want their kids to be exposed to inappropriate content (Taylor 10). Students are entitled to their First Amendment rights just as much as adults are, but schools still censor things like newspapers, books, and clothing.
This article emphasizes the point that censors go too far when they attempt to not only ban a book for their own children but want to remove it altogether from a school library, so that other students cannot read it.
Censorship is needed when there is an elephantine amount of explicit content. In books such Dreaming in Cuban or Fifty Shades of Grey there is an enormous amount of sexual content. These books are public, so kids could get there hands on them. This is a case in which censorship in books would be alright. According to Justice William Brennan “Schools may not exercise their discretion… and they may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they