Censorship In Public Schools

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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary censorship is the removal of things that are considered to be offensive, immoral, harmful to society, or inappropriate (“Censor”). Censorship in 2015 has decreased in comparison to censorship in the 1900s but it is still something that occurs often in society. Items such as books are commonly censored but on occasions school districts will make an attempt to ban an entire course or curriculum. Although censorship may only come in the form of challenging a novel, it can cause limited access to education. A major question found in debates over academic censorship is whether or not it is detrimental to the students because it limits their intellectual freedom. Within the last few years, censorship in…show more content…
For example, according to Kelly Wallace, during the 2014-2015 school year, the Jefferson County School District in Colorado attempted to ban the Advanced Placement United States History course (“Denver-area Students Accuse School Board of Censoring U.S. History”). Later a committee was created to show the reason behind why the history course should be censored, they stated: “Materials should promote citizenship, patriotism … should not encourage or condone civil disorder … Instructional materials should present positive aspects of the United States and its heritage” (Dance). In public schools, classes are often censored because they do not meet the standards of the public, and people believe that the curriculum might teach students material that is highly…show more content…
In the United States there have been several court cases that depict the effects of censorship in schools. The notable cases begin with the 1968 case of Pickering v. Board of Education, where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a teacher who was fired for a comment about the school district’s policies. Later in 1969, the Supreme Court made a ruling on the case of Tinker v. Des Moines, a case that focused on a student’s freedom of speech, the ruling clarified that the First Amendment applies to students. In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled in the court case of Island Trees School District v. Pico, stating that: “Local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves, simply because they dislike the ideas contained in these books” (Head). In the 1986 case of Bethel v. Fraser, the Supreme Court ruled against the student who gave a lewd speech, claiming that because their speech was inappropriate is would not be protected under the First Amendment. Finally, in the 1988 case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlemeier the Supreme Court ruled that schools had the ability to censor official
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