Students of SJP File Suit Against Fordham
Fordham Observer, 4/26/2017
NCAC + Lambda Legal Request Tennessee School Apologize for Removing pro-LGBT Student Artwork
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and Lambda Legal are calling on a Tennessee high school to apologize for removing a displayed student artwork featuring the word “GAYDOM” and a rainbow motif. The groups demand the drawing be immediately restored, arguing that the school’s justification for the removal-- that some students were offended by the artwork-- violates the student artist’s First Amendment rights.
Jerome school considers removing book from library Jerome school considers removing book from library
KMVT Twin Falls, 4/25/2017
National group urges Jerome school to keep Japanese novel
Magic Valley News, 4/25/2017
NCAC Demands Idaho Middle School Retain Popular Manga Novel in Library; UPDATE: Committee Votes to Keep Book
The notion that the mere presence of inappropriate language and allegedly suggestive images is justification for a book’s removal sets a harmful precedent that, for example, a classic work of literature that contains adult language, or an art history textbook that includes a nude, should also be kept away from teens.
Judge Upholds Removal of Controversial Student Painting from U.S. Capitol; Appeal Planned
The message government is communicating appears to be that young people's opinions concerning such issues are not respected and don't matter.
Congressman to Appeal Removal of Art Showing Cops as Pigs, Citing Free Speech
ArtNet News, 4/19/2017
NCAC Criticizes Minnesota School’s Decision to Cancel Play Featuring Ku Klux Klan Characters
The groups maintain that although the school should and must aim to create a positive learning environment free from racism and hostility, the decision to cancel the play fails to further this objective
Parents may get new way to challenge school textbooks
Orlando Sentinel, 4/18/2017
SIGN: Petition Urging Rejection of Proposal Requiring US Visitors’ Social Media Passwords
The online petition has been launched in response to the news DHS Secretary Kelly is likely to implement the proposal.
Watch What You #Tweet: Youth Free Expression Film Contest Winners
NCAC is delighted to announce our three winners for our 2016 Youth Free Expression Film Contest.
NCAC and the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2016
Our colleagues at the American Library Association (ALA) this week released their annual list of the ten most challenged books for the year of 2016. What's NCAC's relationship with the book's on the list.
NCAC Objects to Bill Threatening Educational Standards in Florida; UPDATE: Bill Signed Into Law
The bill is vague, allowing challenges and changes to curricular selections made by ideological actors.
NCAC Protests AZ School District’s Unjustifiable Removal of ‘The Kite Runner’ from English Curriculum
The letter argues that choosing to remove a book citing "community standards" sets a dangerous precedent for future book challenges.
PRESS RELEASE: Free Speech Groups Protest AZ School District’s Unjustifiable Removal of The Kite Runner from English Curriculum
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 7 other organizations committed to defending the freedom to read are urging a Arizona school district to reinstate Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner in its English curriculum after the book was removed without explanation or prior review. The groups argue the district’s decision is unwarranted and does an educational disservice to its students by depriving them of access to a novel that explores salient and timely themes.
Gov. Sununu expected to sign bill requiring notice before teaching sex ed
New Hampshire Union Leader, 4/11/2017
An Art Career Intertwined with Censorship: The Murals of Mike Alewitz
A profile of muralist Mike Alewitz describes how his radical politics infuses his work and left him open to many incidents of censorship.
Minnesota Performing Arts Center Censors Play Over Word ‘Mulatto’ in Title; UPDATE: NCAC and DLDF Send Letter to Mayor Kautz
The play offers a perspective on the experience of growing up biracial -- or "mulatto," a dated term used to describe a person with one black and one white parent.
Tennessee University Fires NPR Reporter After Politicians Complain
TruthOut, 4/8/2017.
Without Explanation, AZ School District Removes The Kite Runner From English Curriculum
The Arizona school district removed Khaled Hosseini's novel after 5 years on the English curriculum, raising questions about the motivations behind the decision.
Joan Bertin, NCAC Executive Director, to Step Down
Joan Bertin, the longtime executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), announced today that she is stepping down from her role in June.
NCAC Criticizes Politically Motivated Removal of ‘Jacob’s New Dress’ From North Carolina Lesson Plan
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 6 other organizations committed to defending the right to read are urging a North Carolina school district to reinstate a children’s book in a 1st grade anti-bullying lesson plan after it was removed following pressure from local Republican lawmakers concerned about its gender-nonconforming themes.
Villages Charter School student a finalist in video scholarship competition
Villages News, 4/4/2017
Free Speech Groups Criticize Politically Motivated Removal of ‘Jacob’s New Dress’ From North Carolina Lesson Plan
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 6 other organizations committed to defending the right to read are urging a North Carolina school district to reinstate a children’s book in a 1st grade anti-bullying lesson plan after it was removed following pressure from local Republican lawmakers concerned about its gender-nonconforming themes. The groups express concern that political and ideological motivations were behind the district’s decision to remove the book.
Free Speech Groups Urge New Hampshire Governor to Veto Bill Requiring Educators to Notify Parents Prior to Use of Sex Ed. Materials
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and other organizations committed to defending the freedom to read are urging New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu to veto a bill requiring schools to notify parents prior to the teaching of materials with information about human sexuality. The groups argue the bill will stigmatize the teaching of educationally valuable materials and undermine the quality of education in New Hampshire.
NJ Parents Take Legal Action Against School Using False Claims of Islamic ‘Indoctrination’
The parents claim that the school taught solely Islamic religious practices in a World Culture and Geography curriculum, ignoring education in other world religions.