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Book Banning?

​Q:  Where Do You Stand on Book Banning?

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There are obviously some books that I think most people would say are inappropriate for some (or all) age groups of students – certainly those that are legally obscene in South Carolina would be! I think few inappropriate books (and likely no legally obscene ones) get by the librarians and others ordering books, but there should certainly be some formal procedure for removing those that do.

I am positive that someone could be found to object to just about anything – portrayal of religions besides their own; anything but a classic nuclear family; adoption; discussions of history; science; etc… So the fact that someone objects shouldn’t decide the issue.

I liked that the district took their task seriously last school year and – after reviews by committees made up of teachers, librarians, and parents – they voted as they saw it. Some books were removed on 7-0 votes. Some were kept 5-2 and others 4-3.  In all those cases the reports and discussions and vote totals are on the public record. 

I dislike it greatly when principals, possibly bowing to pressure, simply remove books with no public record of what happened and why, and no oversight.  And when they are decided by committees with volunteers, I believe that those committees should embody the diversity of the district.

The public presentations on which books are appropriate (or not) raised the issue that some things are only appropriately discussed with young children by parents. In one case, it seemed that this included the mere existence of same-sex parents. To shield a child from this, would it be necessary to also ban same-sex parents of students from coming to K-5 open houses and events, or children of same-sex couples from talking about their parents or drawing their families in pictures? 

What is the analogous response in the case of someone who says religion is something that is only appropriately discussed with young children by parents?  Someone who says that merely showing religious symbols or obviously religious buildings raises uncomfortable questions, and that they don’t want their young children to possibly be discussing those questions with other children away from their supervision?


It feels like an important thought experiment to try and come up with objective rules to apply to all books. Then imagine how a neutral third party would objectively apply the rules to things ranging from Shakespeare to the encyclopedia sets many of us in Generation X grew up with at home and in libraries everywhere.

 

The district is in the process of adopting the new State of South Carolina regulations so that they are in compliance, and I am afraid the State Department of Education did not do this thought experiment. They decided not to make allowances for scientific, historical, or literary merit, and the new rules read as if they should particularly ban portions of the Bible and many materials on animals and physiology. It also isn’t clear how current event discussions, book fairs, and dual enrollment courses should work. 

Given the many book challenges last year – one in Lex2 argued against books with adopted children in them! – I understand any teacher who opts to use only the approved textbook and to have no supplements or free reading books.

 

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