Should Censorship Be Allowed In Schools

Issues of censorship in public schools are contests between the exercise of discretion and the exercise of a Constitutional right. The law

Many censorship occurs in schools today. As many are for the censoring of material, many are also against it. Behind each stand, are different opinions and reasons? The reasons to be against

There is a book out there that talks about a topic that you do not agree with. While you may find the book offensive, others may find it inspiring or a reflection of their life. These varying points of view are what often lead to people calling for a ban of a certain book in a school or public library. This brings to light a topic that impacts all of us in one way or another, censorship in the form of book bans. This leads to a topic that can be the center of debate for many, whether or not we should allow the censorship of books, or other forms of media, in our libraries. And by censoring books, we are referring to taking them off of the shelves. Of course, many people have strong opinions on this. Coincidentally, I also have an opinion. My opinion is that we should not censor books, while making you understand why the idea of censorship in our school and public libraries goes against the fundamental values and freedoms that we hold dearly as citizens of the United States.

Censorship in the classroom is about control. Gardner (1997) came to understand this concept when he used "book burning" to make a point to his class while they were studying Fahrenheit 451. He and his students burned some books, which were previously intended for disposal, to bring to life the focus that Bradbury makes on the subject in the novel. His afternoon classes came in, having heard about the activity in the hallways, excited and full of adrenaline at the thought of participating.

Censorship has been around for millions of years. Although censorship is still practised in some countries today, almost anyone would agree that censorship is never the right answer; as we have seen in the past, it has seldomly ever works out. Which is why it is so concerning that schools are starting to allow censorship in classrooms. As a result of this, the world is seeing an alarming amount of young millennials who are fresh into the workforce, expecting to always be catered to. More and more millennials are not being properly prepared for the real world due to censorship in schools; schools have been giving in and catering to students by allowing the censoring of books and microaggressions in the classroom, as a result the students are being taught that the world will cater to everyone, which is very inaccurate.

“The Diary of Anne Frank”, “The Catcher and the Rye” and “Gone With The Wind” are examples of some famous books that have been made unavailable to students in public schools. These books, along with many others have culturally shaped America. Future students will now grow up without the knowledge these books have given past generations. This is due to censorship. According to Vocabulary.com “To censor is to review something and to choose to remove or hide parts of it that are considered unacceptable.” In public schools censorship is a big problem. The schools district will take a book out of students education because the books themes does not fit in with their ideals. Other times, a parent will complain because a book is being taught that does not support their religious beliefs. Public Schools should not censor literature based on intolerance for other viewpoints, because it disadvantages students education by not exposing them to world issues.

Censorship is a widely debated topic, because it has the power to dictate the types of diverse and contrasting ideas exposed to students. There are many different opinions on this subject with very valid reasons behind those opinions. For example, those opposed to censorship say that censorship violates the people’s inalienable

“Censorship is the process of suppressing something that is considered objectionable or offensive” (Emert 1). In order for a work to become censored, some authority figure imposes restrictions that establish what would be and would not be allowed to be put in front of the public for people to read. The standards those in authority base their restrictions off of are the standards set by the publishers, producers, and agencies of that work. Censorship is something that affects many people especially in the school system; it normally causes tensions to rise. This is because someone feels that their First Amendment rights have been violated. This most frequently happens in the school system because parents, students, teachers, and or staff find a work offensive in some way and try to get it removed. They bring it to the school board, and if severe enough, the case is brought before a judge in court. In most cases the person or group that tries to get the work censored, loses the case. In some cases, the person trying to censor does win. According to most school boards, they would say that students have their full First Amendment rights, but that is not always the case. When it comes to the Freedom of Expression, most schools find some way to censor, books, and articles especially.

Censorship deprives students of the full academic experience. “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials…on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of the standards applied by the censor,” (Cromwell). The act of banning materials is always justified through the eyes of the censor and only the censor. They are rigid to the point that they will not see the other sides of the spectrum. The conformists attempt to censor any challenge to their belief systems even though there is no law respecting any belief or religion. School administrations and teachers often ponder on who should decide what kinds of texts students read. Modern censorship issues arise more frequently as teachers are pressed to introduce more current and culturally diverse materials. One troubling aspect of censorship is its power to deny students in one class or an entire school system the right to read particular texts. Even though schools have good intentions, in truth they are actually denying the opportunity for students to mature academically (Rose). Students should be able to experience the academic experience to the full extent. Taking away these materials are depriving students of academic freedom. They have the right to

Censorship keeps individuals from learning. Prabhakar Pillai, author of, “ Pros and Cons of Censorship “ remarks, “ children are prevented from learning things that

For as long, as I can remember, censorship has been an issue among society’s free thinkers. There are those that abide by the rules, never thinking twice of the repercussions of actions chosen by commanding authorities. There are those that go with the grain of society’s guidance, yet wonder where the line is drawn in the sand, and where it begins. Then there are those that have witnessed the blinding of society and refuse to have White Out cover the novel that are their opinions and belief. Censorship comes in an extensive array of variations, from speech to educational literature, silencing opinions and facts alike. Different degrees of censorship have been attempted throughout the ages by scholars, civilians, and governments alike. Often

Modern society faces many controversial issues that previous generations could not have possibly imagined. These issues seem to evolve with the culture and recur in new form as each generation moves on in time. For example, censorship is an issue that generations have struggled to resolve since the dawn of media and the publication of documents. Today, censorship is an important part of our world because of its ability to let parents block out or allow certain material to reach their children, its controversial stand on the freedom of press and freedom of speech rights of human beings, and its demonstration of who or what has the power at hand to control what enters the public media.

Censorship has spun out of control in the past few years. Nowadays any book dubbed as too political, sexual, socially offensive, or irreligious is automatically put on the chopping block and deemed as unfit for young readers (Towner). How can this level of censorship be advantageous? How can this level of censorship ultimately advance the education of our students? Contrary to much belief, censorship does not need to be completely exonerated; however, it does need to be less severe, and critics need to be more thoughtful and selective in the books that they ban. Clearly, some literature is not suitable for high school students; however, they may be set aside to be taught at a higher level

  The common image that comes to mind on the topic of censorship is that of book burning. Dating back to ancient times, the easiest way to deal with unwanted writings has been to get rid of them, usually by heaping them into a blazing pyre. In his most famous science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury warns of a futuristic society where all literature is destroyed under a kerosene flame and the citizens' freedoms are kept in check by the lack of written information. In fear of this kind of totalitarianism, many bibliophiles have fought against all manners of censorship, wielding the first amendment and the rights recognized by our fore-fathers. But with the technological advances of this the

After doing the research and looking for the answers to my questions I realized that there is many complicated parts to censorship. Censorship is also needed to an extent because there are some things people do not need to be exposed to until they are in there teens. But also because adults fear ideas they end up thinking they need to protect children and adolescents from it. I also concluded that labelling of books is only good for elementary school libraries and only as a suggestion to the students of the types of books they should read.