Jessica CrockettCynthia Rush

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CENSORED
In the schools

• Jessica Crockett Cynthia Rush
• Missy Sharp Sara Ahlers

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What is CENSORSHIP?

• The removal, suppression, or restricted
  circulation of literary, artistic or educational
  materials on the grounds that these are morally
  or otherwise objectionable in the light of
  standards applied by the censor (Reichman).

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History of Censorship

• 213 BC Confucius books are burned except one
  copy of each, which was kept in the Chinese State
  Library.
• In 1821, Heinrich Heine stated, Where they have
  burned books, they will end in burning human
  beings.

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In the Schools

• Censorship in schools has been increasing since
  the 1980s.
• The ALA Office for intellectual freedom received
  a total of 515 reports of challenges in 2002, a
  15 increase since the previous year.

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For/against censorship in the schools

• Against
• Censorship of books violates academic freedom and
  diversity of thought.

• For
• The children will be harmed if they are not
  protected from inappropriate materials.

When a controversial book is taken off the
shelves, the empty space is not filled with
another. Instead, ignorance takes its
place. -Tara Watson
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Censorship in a democracy

• In a democracy, the majority rules but what about
  the rights of the minority?
• In Watch Dogs or Mad Dogs? Jim Trelease says,
  They have a right to protest and a right to be
  heard. What they dont have is the right to
  impose their will upon others.

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Topics censored

• Religion
• Politics
• Sex
• Challenging Authority
• Drugs/Alcohol use
• Race/ethnicity
• Language
• Sexual Orientation
• Bodily functions
• Death

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• The official restriction of any expression
  believed to threaten the political, social, or
  moral order.
• -Judy Blume

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LANGUAGE USAGE

• The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
• The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
• Forever, by Judy Blume
• To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
• Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck.

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RELIGION

• The Harry Potter Series, by J. K. Rowling
• Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Patterson

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Sex

• The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
• Alice Series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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Race Ethnicity

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Dean
  Taylor
• The Watsons Go To Birmingham, by Paul
  Christopher Curtis

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SEXUAL ORIENTATION

• Daddys Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
• Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman

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CHILDREN challenging authority

• Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey
• Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

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DRUg/alcohol use

• Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
• When I Was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago
• Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
• Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts

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Court Decisions

• Evans v. Shelma Union High School District of
  Fresno County (1924)
• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
• Virgil v. School Board of Columbia County (1989)

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AVOIDING CONTROVERSY

• Clearly stated policies
• Weighing the viewpoints of various groups in the
  community
• Considering community and parental concerns
• Acceptance of our national diversity
• Minority rights
• Non-political

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avoiding controversy

• Ask parents to contribute to developing school
  reading programs.
• Give recommended, rather than required reading
  lists.
• Have files of professional reviews
• Be familiar with laws that protect academic
  freedom.
• Discourage the concept that only one text can be
  used to teach a specific theme.

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HanDling Controversy

• Meet with the complainant and attempt to resolve
  the issue.
• Ask for a written complaint
• Give the complainant a copy of district policies
  for controversial materials.

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Handling controversy

• Provide the school board with a final report.
• Inform the complainant of the review process and
  meeting time.
• Provide an appeals process.
• While the complaint is being explored, you can
  still keep the controversial material available.
  
• Resources NCTE anti-censorship center

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Who does Censorship hurt?

• Censorship leaves students with an inadequate and
  distorted picture of the ideals, values, and
  problems in our culture.
• Rory Edwards, age 12, as quoted in The Washington
  Post, I dont want to be shut out from the
  truth. If they ban books they might as well lock
  us away from the world.

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References

• http//www.cartoonstock.com/directory/c/censorship
  .asp
• http//www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr031.shtm
  l
• Goldberg, Beverly. Censorship Watch. American
  Libraries 35.4 (2004) 15.
• Reichman, Henry. Censorship and Selection, Issues
  and Answers for Schools. Chicago American
  Library Association, 2001.
• http//www.angelfire.com/scifi/dreamweaver/bannedb
  ks/censorbackground.html