Media Literacy: An Alternative to Censorship
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Harry Potter Back on Shelves in Michigan School District
Free expression won out when school superintendent Gary Feenstra withdrew most of the restrictions he had imposed on the use of Harry Potter books. Following the advice of an advisory committee, Feenstra agreed to put the books back in the elementary and middle school libraries and to permit students to borrow them without restrictions. He also agreed to permit classroom readings of [...]
Creationists Seek to Ban Evolution in Kansas Curricula
In a new twist in the battle against evolution, creationists in Kansas hope to convince the Board of Education to drop evolution from the curriculum. Since it is unconstitutional to teach religious theory in the schools, creationists argue, evolution must also go. Shades of Isaac Asimov, who punned: "I'd let them teach creationism in the schools if they let us [...]
NCAC Letter to School District 46 Superintendent About Reinstating Judy Blume’s Forever
Dr. Marvin E. Edwards Superintendent School District U-46 355 East Chicago Street Elgin, IL 60120 Dear Dr. Edwards, We write to urge you to reinstate Judy Blume’s novel, Forever, in the middle school libraries in District 46. According to recent news reports, the decision to remove the book, and the desire to keep it out now, are based on disapproval [...]
Groups and Students Oppose Cancellation of Indigo Girls Concerts at High Schools
Seven organizations dedicated to upholding the right of freedom of expression today declared their strong objection to the cancellation by high school principals of three free concerts by acclaimed folk-rock artists, the Indigo Girls. The organizations also praised the many students who are protesting their schools' censorship. A concert at Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina was canceled because of [...]
Do Teenage Girl Magazines Belong On Middle School Library Shelves?
Most Americans - 93 percent according to a recent Freedom Forum poll - say they believe in the First Amendment. A recent incident in Hauppauge illustrates something else the poll revealed: Many Americans really don't understand it.
NCAC Letter to Long Island School District Superintendent About Removal of Three Magazines
I write to express my serious concerns about your decision to remove three magazines from the Hauppauge Middle School Library. If press reports are accurate, as our inquiries suggest they are, removal of the magazines was precipated, in whole or in part, by a local religious figure who urged parishioners to object to them because they contain "information that goes against what we believe is the truth about sex as Catholic Christians."
New Hampshire Teacher Fired for Teaching “Unsuitable” Books Reinstated by School Board
Penny Culliton, a New Hampshire teacher who fought back against attempts to smear and ultimately fire her, has been reinstated by the Mascenic School Board following a decision of the state's Public Employee Labor Relations Board. The Labor Board upheld an arbitrator's previous award that had turned Culliton's dismissal into a one-year suspension.