Board of Education v. Pico is a Supreme Court case that was argued from March 2, 1892 to June 25, 1982 (Island Trees…). This case presents the issue of banning “vulgar and immoral” books from school libraries (Board of Education, Island). The Board of Education of the Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26, including Richard Ahrens (President of the Board of Education), Frank Martin (Vice President), Christina Fasulo, Patrick Hughes, Richard Melchers, Richard Michaels, and Louis Nessim (Board Members), presented the issue of banning books from the Island Trees High School and the Island Trees Memorial Junior High School, after they attended a conference by Parents of New York United, or PONYU (Board of Education v…). The Board …show more content…
Therefore, the respondents took the case to court (Island Trees…). The holding, the court’s decision, by a 5-4 vote, was “The First Amendment limits the power of local or school boards to remove library books from junior high schools and high schools” (Island Trees…). The court also said that the Board of Education “should not intervene in ‘the daily operations of school systems’ unless ‘basic constitutional values’ were ‘sharply implicate[d]”(qtd. in Board of Education, Island). The dissent consisted of Burger, Powell, Rehnquist, and O’Connor; the concurrence consisted of Blackmun and White (Island Trees…). The concurrence issues were based on the purpose behind restricting the books (Board of Education v…). The majority consisted of Brennan, Marshall, and Stevens (Board of Education, Island…). The majority argued a “student learns that a library is a place to test or expand upon ideas presented to him, in or out of the classroom” (qtd. in Board of Education, Island…). The minority countered this argument when the school board said, “it is our duty, our moral obligation, to protect the children in our school from this moral danger as surely as from physical and medical dangers” (qtd. in Board of
Books are banned for many reasons but more times than not it is because of the sensitive information found within the novel that agitates the reader. As long as people have been able to develop their own opinions, others have sought to prevent them from sharing. At some point in time, every idea has ultimately become objectionable to someone. The most frequently challenged and most visible targets of such objection are the very books found in classrooms and public libraries. These controversial novels teach lessons that sometimes can be very sensitive to some but there is much more to challenged books than a controversial topic. What lies within these pages is a wealth of knowledge, such as new perspectives for readers, twisting plots, and expressions that are found nowhere else. For example, To Kill A Mockingbird, contains references to rape, racial content, and profanity that have caused many to challenge the novel in the first place. The book was banned from countless
Next, after calmly listening to her complaint, an explanation that there was a policy and procedure for challenging a book. An attempt was made to explain the library functions on the concept of intellectual freedom. Mrs. Green was given a copy of the district challenge/ban policy and a pamphlet on the steps for filing a challenge. Mrs. Green was made aware that even though I listened to her complaint, she needed to put the complaint in writing. “The librarian should stress that no action is taken unless a written request for reconsideration of the item is received within the amount of time specified by the school’s policy” (Adams, 2010) According to AASL (2008), “Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession, and Article V of the Library Bill of Rights
Fiction can change the way one looks at the world and can form the beliefs of many across the globe. Libraries are filled with the thoughts and beliefs of people who have a story to tell and hopes of inspiring a nation. The district is petitioning to remove fiction for the curriculum, despite the fact that they lack the proper research on the importance of fiction in school. Many people believe that fictional pieces are just as important as nonfiction pieces. In fact, many of the greatest minds were inspired by fiction feeding their creativity, producing inventions that could only be conjured out of an open mind. The thoughts of such people are passed along and shared through the brilliance of books. The removal of said books causes one to conclude that the district is silencing our freedom of speech.
In her article “Censorship”, author Bobbi Swiderek, raises awareness of the issue of censorship in schools or to be more specific the banning of books in school libraries without proper reason and dealing with the irrational fears that seem to plague parents and officials when it comes to certain books. Using quotes from other authors, Swiderek makes a number of conclusions to why the banning of books actually happens and gives am in depth analysis of the subject given.
In order to understand Board of Education v. Earls case, one must first interpret the history
The article states,“Is it necessary to ban books? Each person answers these questions differently. This is the core of the problem for educators. Books can be found offensive for many reasons. Men John Steinbeck. Reason: Profanity Go Ask Alice Anonymous, Reason; Drug use, sexual situations, profanity A Day No Pigs Would Die Robert Newton Peck, Reason: Depiction of pigs mating and being slaughtered.” Books are being banned for the inappropriate/explicit use of content in the books and parents are complaining that they don’t want their kids to read these books. "Choose the books you use wisely. Make sure that they fit nicely into your curriculum you should have evidence which you can present that books you are using are necessary for the student".
As the book was published and the general public began to read it; different opinions on the book started to come to fruition. “ The controversy began in March 1976 when the chair of the Long Island School Board, Richard J Ahrens, … ordered 60 books to be removed form the Island Tress School District High School Library.”(Nicholas 48). This appears to have caused many individuals and groups great concern. Their concerns mostly appear to be from rights violations. In 1979 a U.S. district court judge ruled that school boards have the right to determine the “suitability” of the content of library materials. Ultimately the courts became involved due to continued disagreements between the school board and those against the banning of the book.
Moreover, a society is not portrayed as a fair society unless ideas and opinions are flourished individually and equally through the society. According to the 1st Amendment of the United States, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” which means that “prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,” is unfair to us and violates the freedom of “the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Source F). If students don’t have the right to be free and explore through different types of books then that is dehumanization against our society. According to student surveys, a substantial amount of teens were gathered to read books that were considerably banned in school and this was their response after the survey; “I really liked how it was written. Also I really liked...
The dispute of whether banned books should be taught has been debated for years upon years. Although there is a simple solution that allows each individual to decide whether or not they are exposed to these “evil” banned books. This simple solution encompasses the creation of an optional class that’s curriculum is based on books that have been challenged or that are or have been banned. This class would still complete the obligatory state standards, which would make it equal to a normal English class. This is a simple middle ground in which these banned books can still be taught with the lessened concern of offending students, parents, etc.
From the years 2000 to 2009, 5,099 books were challenged in school libraries, classrooms, and public libraries. Most of the books on this list were banned because of objectionable content such as sexual references, profanity, violence, and the fact that the book was considered “unsuited to age group” (American Library Association). Even prior to the year 2000, censorship and banned books had become an issue for schools in particular all across the country for these very reasons. While the The Color Purple by Alice Walker does contain the objectionable content mentioned prior, it should not be banned because objectionable content found in the book is accessible through the internet and social media, one person’s complaint should not determine another’s choice, and high school students should be mature enough to handle the adult content.
Did you know that 15% of parents don't let their kids read books with age inappropriate and can cause damage to other kids.(Lombardo). In this essay I agree 100% with Katherine Paterson on how the most debatable and controversial Form of censorship today is the banning of books in school libraries. Banning books is really good for the community in some shape or form because it can hurt peoples feelings and make them feel uncomfortable. I'm going to tell you why books should be banned in more details and trying to get you on my side and let everyone know what books can really do to kids.
Something else that must be mentioned in order to understand the evils of school censorship are facts censors ignore; the first being literary quality. When they chose to censor a book they do not take into account the educational value of the book. How can one say a book does not belong in schools if they do not know what lessons it teaches? The second key element ignored is the manner in which teachers lead students to interact with texts. They g...
The first amendment clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press”. Therefore, banning the novel is limiting freedom of speech, hence acting against the Constitution. This implies that students should be allowed to form their own ideas freely and receive any information to do so. J.D. Salinger writes, “The thing with kids is if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them”(211). Personally, I believe this quote exemplifies the idea; it teaches that although the novel is controversial, each student should decide for themselves whether to read it, and we cannot shield them from the
The Scarlet Letter, The Diary of Anne Frank, and To Kill a Mockingbird all have something in common; these books, although great literary classics, have been banned in schools throughout various points in history. These and other classics are vital for young adolescents to be exposed to since they instill important values and introduce wholly different eras with dated and unconventional ideas. Unfortunately, the government has decided that such improper books should be forbidden from schools due to parental concern for their children’s school reading. Even though this government interference protects what students read, such as the unconcealed use of profanity, racial slurs, and sexual references, books should not be banned in schools because this act goes against the First Amendment and hinders students’ ability to learn and develop as human beings.
In 2013, Lane Technical High School students flooded the school grounds chanting things like “No more banned books!” and “Let us read!” under the freezing rain. Their principal was told by his supervisor to remove all copies of Persepolis (by: Marjane Satrapi), a graphic novel depicting one woman’s childhood during the Islāmic revolution in Iran, from all classrooms and the school’s library. The resulting protest against the book’s removal has earned the students the Illinois Library Association’s 2013 Intellectual Freedom Award. Despite the student’s effort against banning the book however, The Chicago Public School district claimed to have the right to ban Persepolis from their library considering the fact that the book contains questionable language and depicts scenes of torture...but are they really “protecting” children from the evils of the world?