Texas Library Battle Over LGBT Books
Residents of one Texas town want two LGBT books removed from the children's section of a public library. That is unconstitutional. But a plan to move the books to the adult section is similarly problematic.
Good News: No ‘Disclaimer’ for a College Literature Course
After protests from NCAC and other groups, a California college won't be adding a 'trigger warning' to the description of an English course.
Celebrating the Right to Read in Asheville
The Buncombe school district has decided--once and for all--that one parent's objection to the novel The Kite Runner shouldn't prevent other students from reading it.
Managing Controversy: Vanessa Place, Race and Gone With the Wind
In response to a controversy over a conceptual poet's 'Gone With the Wind' project, several cultural institutions have canceled her appearances-- demonstrating the wrong way to deal with such disputes.
Does a College Literature Course Need a ‘Disclaimer’?
A California college rejected a student's request to remove four books from an English course. That's good. But the school is considering adding a 'disclaimer' to the course.
NH Governor Vetoes ‘Parental Notification’ Bill
New Hampshire governor Maggie Hassan vetoed a bill that would have forced teachers to notify parents about any course material “used for instruction of human sexuality or human sexual education."
Keeping the Kite Runner in North Carolina
A North Carolina district should stick to its policy guidelines and keep The Kite Runner in an honors English class.
‘Parental Notification’ in New Hampshire
A New Hampshire bill to require parental notification about "human sexuality or human sexual education" topics in schools deserves to be vetoed.
A Book Censor for North Carolina’s Board of Education?
Has the governor of North Carolina nominated a book censor to the state Board of Education?
Victory for Of Mice and Men in Idaho
Good news: The Coeur d'Alene school board voted to keep John Steinbeck's classic novel in the classroom.
Keeping Steinbeck in the Classroom in Coeur d’Alene
Is John Steinbeck's classic Of Mice and Men too controversial for a classroom of ninth graders? That's what some in an Idaho town are saying.
NCAC Urges the Association of Writers and Writing Programs to Stand by Freedom of Expression
Protesters demand that a controversial poet be removed from a committee at an academic conference. And the writers' group organizing the conference promptly complies.
Asheville: Where Trusting Teachers Isn’t a Novel Idea
Don’t you hate it when one person ruins it for the rest of us? Teachers of Asheville, your school district has your back. So do we.
Parent Attempts to Censor The Kite Runner in Asheville
Can one parent effectively get a book banned from an entire classroom? That's exactly what's happening in one North Carolina town.
Another Salvo in San Bernardino’s War on Nudes
A California library briefly removes a nude painting it deemed "inappropriate."
International Coalition Appeals to Cuba: Drop Charges Against Performance Artist
A group of international artistic freedom groups send a letter to the Cuban government requesting that authorities drop all charges against free speech performance artist Tania Bruguera.
Charlie Hebdo Redux
With Charlie Hebdo controversies back in the news, it is time to restate some core principles concerning free expression.
Waterloo Schools Violate District Policy To Pull Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie's award-winning young adult novel is challenged yet again-- but this time the school district violated its own policy by pulling the book without a formal review.
Perks of Being a Wallflower: Back in Wallingford
After weeks of controversy, a review committee in Wallingford, Connecticut has pushed back against the superintendent's attempt to remove the Perks of Being A Wallflower from high school classrooms.
Evolution Wins: Cherokee Trail High Allows Production to Go Forward Uncensored
NCAC congratulates the students of Cherokee Trail High for speaking up and speaking out against censorship, and is gratified that the administration chose to do the right thing by respecting its students' free expression rights.
Removal of Student Art Undermines Artistic Freedom
The decision to quickly remove a student art project involving a teepee from a California college campus sent the wrong message about artistic freedom and claims of offense.
Victory: Library Will Continue to Display “Edgy” Exhibit
An exhibit of dolls at the Long Beach library was deemed too controversial because it included a depiction of police brutality. The library decided to go on with the show; NCAC offers some guidelines for curators who are faced with similar controversies.
Connecticut District Removes Perks of Being A Wallflower From Curriculum
A review committee in Wallingford, Ct. decided to keep a popular young adult novel in the English curriculum. But the superintendent overruled that decision. Does his decision make legal or educational sense?
An Acclaimed Graphic Novel…Or Child Porn? Palomar Under Scrutiny In New Mexico
A parent complains that an acclaimed graphic novel on the shelves at a New Mexico high school library is really child pornography. How will the school respond?
Charlotte County History Textbook Challenge Fails
Local Tea Party activists fail in their efforts to remove world history textbooks they see as 'Islamic indoctrination.'
ACT! for America Claims History Textbooks Promote Islam — NCAC Responds
Who gets to decide how history is taught? ACT! for America, a grassroots political advocacy group fighting "Islamofascism," is attempting to exert control over World History in Charlotte County, FL. NCAC has responded.
Curatorial Judgment or Viewpoint Discrimination? NCAC Responds to ‘Rush Revere’ in Ohio
Can curatorial decisions about what belongs on library shelves, museum walls, or classrooms ever constitute censorship? It’s a blurry line that a children’s specialist in Ohio’s Greenville Public Library may have crossed when rejecting two donated Rush Limbaugh books.
Colorado Battle Over ‘Reviewing’ AP History Ends–But Others Just Starting
A Colorado school district has dropped a plan to 'review' an AP History framework that conservatives claim is "sharply left-leaning." But this fight over how to teach history isn't over by a long shot.
Labor Art Censored? Canceled Mural Controversy at the Museum of the City of New York
Is the Museum of the City of New York censoring labor art--or merely exercising proper curatorial judgment?
“Community Standards” in Highland Park: An Invitation to Censorship Controversies
Should "community standards" play a part in what is taught in the classroom? This is the question we asked Highland Park, Tx. school officials in a February 6 letter about new proposals to deal with controversies over certain reading materials.
First Amendment, Civil Liberties Groups Condemn Proposed Policy Changes in Virginia
Hanover School District’s Fix Could Actually Make Things Worse NEW YORK, January 13, 2015 — The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is cautioning school officials in Hanover County, VA that policy changes intended to reduce complaints about instructional materials could actually do the opposite. At a school board meeting tonight, three changes to board policies are being mulled over in response to controversies surrounding the use [...]
NCAC Writes to Hanover, VA: School District’s Fix Could Actually Make Things Worse
School officials resisted a challenge to a documentary film. But their new policies on instructional materials, while intended to reduce complaints, could actually do the opposite--giving would-be censors more power over what is taught in class.
First Amendment Groups Say No to Proposed Book Rating Policy in Appoquinimink
National Coalition Against Censorship Contact: Peter Hart 212.807.6222 // c: 732.266.4932 // [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: First Amendment Groups Say No to Proposed Book Rating Policy in Appoquinimink NEW YORK, January 12, 2015 — The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is urging Delaware's Appoquinimink School District against adopting potentially restrictive book assignment and checkout policy. The district’s new system proposes to [...]
NCAC to Appoquinimink: Don’t Adopt Restrictive Book Policies!
Update: Victory for KRRP! The Appoquinimink School District has chosen not to implement new rules that would have allowed parents to sign forms barring their children from reading anything deemed too “mature.”
Charlie Hebdo Massacre: A Shocking Attack on Free Expression
The failure to stand up for free expression emboldens those who seek to attack and undermine it.
Cancellation of The Interview: There is an Urgent Need to Affirm Our Commitment to Free Speech Amid Threats of Violence
NCAC issued the following statement and joined forces with the Secret Cinema Society to protest the cancellation of The Interview: There is an Urgent Need to Affirm Our Commitment to Free Speech Amid Threats of Violence In an age of anonymous communications and instant publicity, threats of violence have become increasingly successful in suppressing cultural expression. Just this past year, [...]
NCAC Joins FIRE in Letter to University of Iowa Over Disturbing Censorship
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) are urging University of Iowa president Sally Mason to issue a statement recognizing the First Amendment rights of Professor Serhat Tanyolacar and make clear that his artwork is fully protected under the First Amendment. The letter was issued in response to the forced removal from [...]
Same State, Different District: NCAC Goes to Bat for Cam Post in Indian River, DE
Update: KRRP wins again! Last night, the board President withdrew his appeal before it went to a vote, resulting in the return of the book to the shelves of Sussex Central High's library. Read more about the meeting here. Another day, another Cameron Post challenge. Just months after NCAC fought tirelessly against a challenge to emily m. danforth's lauded The Miseducation of Cameron Post in Cape Henlopen, DE, [...]
The Fault in Our Policies: NCAC Responds to Review of “Fault in Our Stars” Ban in Riverside Unified School District
Update: Another victory for KRRP! Last night, the board voted 3-2 to reinstate the book to middle school libraries. Read more about the decision here. In October, CA's Riverside Unified School District raised some eyebrows when a review committee decided to yank John Green's acclaimed The Fault in Our Stars from the district's middle school libraries. The reason? Age-appropriateness; the committee, in a [...]
NCAC to Indian River, DE: Don’t Censor Health Curriculum
UPDATE: After receiving NCAC's letter, pastor and school board member Shaun Fink has struck back against NCAC. Contrary to his earlier public statements, Fink now claims that he never called for the exclusion of materials on LGBT content or STD, HIV, and pregnancy prevention. At December 2's health curriculum subcommittee meeting, he also characterized NCAC's letter as a form of intimidation for the [...]