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.
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.
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.
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.
NCAC’s Primer On The Whitney Biennial Controversy: A Timely and Necessary Exchange
In the aftermath of the Whitney Biennial controversy, NCAC has aggregated the best commentary and opinions on the fraught but necessary incident.
Supreme Court Urged to Safeguard Student Speech Against ‘Ideological Litmus Tests’
NCAC has joined the Student Press Law Center, the Cato Institute and the Electronic Frontier Foundation in urging the Supreme Court to take the case of Craig Keefe who was expelled from a nursing program for 'unprofessional' remarks.
Minnesota High School Cancels Play After Photos Leak of Students Dressed in KKK Costumes
The decision to cancel the play was understandable, given the controversy around the photo, but was it the best decision that could have been made?
‘Anti-Bullying’ Book with Transgender Themes Pulled From 1st Grade Lesson Plan
The book, Jacob’s New Dress, was pulled after Republican lawmakers complained. For several month a group called Values Coalition has charged the district of using "indoctrinating" materials.
Watch What You #Tweet: Youth Free Expression Film Contest Finalists
NCAC is pleased to announce our twelve finalists for our 2016 Youth Free Expression Film Contest: Watch What You #Tweet: How Free Should Social Media Be? Our panel of judges will carefully evaluate these films and announce the first, second, and third-place winners in mid-April.
Censorpedia Celebrates Women’s History Month
Throughout March, to celebrate Women's History Month, NCAC will be spotlighting censorship cases involving women and women's issues on its crowdsourced wiki, Censorpedia.
NCAC Urges Rejection of ‘Anti-Science’ Legislation In Oklahoma; Bill Passed by OK State Senate
S.B. 393 is the latest in a string of similar “anti-science bills” introduced in states around the country. One such bill was rejected by South Dakota’s House Education Committee last month.
‘Stuck in the Middle’ Editor Ariel Schrag on Reading to Grapple With Real Life Problems
Yesterday, NCAC, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and 6 other free speech and education groups defended Ariel Schrag's acclaimed anthology Stuck in the Middle, which had been challenged in a school library in Oklahoma. NCAC joined CBLDF to ask Schrag for her thoughts on the challenge.
Free Speech Groups Defend Graphic Novel Censored in Oklahoma Over ‘Adult Themes’
NCAC highlights that Stuck in the Middle is praised for its realistic, un-sanitized depiction of difficult situations that characterize the harder truths of teenage life.
Violent Protestors Misunderstand the First Amendment
The violent protesters of Charles Murray need to understand a basic principle: the right to speech exists for all, or for none.
NCAC Protests Oregon School’s Unwarranted Removal of Eleanor & Park
NCAC’s letter to the school district reprimands the school for violating its own book challenge review process, and emphasizes the value of Rowell’s novel.
Free Speech, Press Groups Call President’s Attacks on the Media a Threat to Democracy
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and the American Society of News Editors (ASNE), along with more than 75 other organizations committed to the First Amendment right of freedom of speech and the press, condemn efforts by the Trump administration to demonize the media and undermine its ability to inform the public about official actions and policies. In a joint statement released today, the groups stress that the administration’s attacks on the press pose a threat to American democracy.
NCAC & Over 80 Other Free Speech, Press Groups Call President’s Attacks on the Media a Threat to Democracy
Efforts to undermine the legitimacy or independence of the press, the statement reads, “betray the country’s most cherished values and undercut one of its most significant strengths.”
NCAC Protests the Removal of American Diversity Posters over Alleged “anti-Trump” bias
NCAC is urging a Maryland school district to allow its teachers to display a series of posters promoting diversity and inclusion in America after administrators ordered their removal over concerns of political bias.
Maryland School District Censors American Diversity Posters for ‘anti-Trump’ Bias
The posters were deemed to break the school's policy that forbids classroom materials that attempt to sway the political opinions of students.
Literary Classics Removed from High-School’s Alternative Reading List in Alaska
Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, and Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian were flagged for "explicit, graphic" content.
NCAC Defends the Glass Castle over Concerns of ‘Disturbing’ Content; UPDATE: Review Committee Votes in Favor of Keeping the Book
A formal complaint was lodged by a local parent who was offended by the presence of profanity in the book, which includes passages that reference sexual assault.
Without Review, Oregon Middle School Removes Eleanor & Park After Parents Complain
The Yamhill-Carlton School District in Western Oregon pulled the New York Times bestseller from a school lesson plan without following the school's review process for book challenges.
NCAC Objects to Bill Threatening to Undermine Science Education Standards in South Dakota; UPDATE: Bill Defeated in the House Education Committee
The bill removes the restraints on teachers that prevent them from straying from professionally-developed science standards adopted by state educators.
NCAC Guest Column: Jay High School’s book ban sets ‘dangerous precedent’
Santa Rosa Press Gazette, 2/13/2017
Chicago High School’s Civil Rights Day Attacked for ‘Indoctrinating’ Students
A group of parents claim the New Trier High School's Seminar Day does not include a fair balance of perspective.
Free Speech Groups Defend Black History Month Exhibit Removed on Grounds of Offense
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California are urging a California High School District to immediately redisplay an exhibition of paintings celebrating Black History Month. The exhibition was abruptly terminated after it was deemed to be politically charged. The groups are also asking the school district to put policies in place that prevent future viewpoint discrimination against artworks.
Black History Month Art Exhibition Removed From School Admin. Offices; UPDATE: NCAC & ACLU Urge District to Immediately Restore Exhibit
An exhibition of artworks celebrating Black History Month was removed from display in a San Jose School district building after complaints calling the works offensive.
New Report Catalogs Attacks on Artistic Freedom Around The World in 2016
The number of cases registered in 2016 more than doubled the amount registered in 2015, an increase of 119%, which translates to an extra 469 attacks.
North Carolina School Releases Statement to Parents About Potentially Inappropriate Books
Terms such as "inappropriate" are vague and over-inclusive, potentially leading to the exclusion of works of undeniable pedagogical value.
NCAC Responds to American University Museum’s Removal of Controversial Sculpture; UPDATE: NCAC Advises AU Museum on Strategies to Avoid Future Controversy
American University Museum in Washington D.C. flubbed its approach to a controversial sculpture after it claimed it did not want the message of the sculpture to be deemed the institution's own.
Free Speech, Artist Groups Condemn Decision to Remove Controversial Painting from Student Art Exhibition in U.S. Capitol
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and close to a dozen other organizations committed to defending free speech and the arts are condemning the decision of the Architect of the Capitol to remove a student painting displayed on Capitol Hill after it sparked controversy for its alleged anti-police message.