Protecting The Freedom To Learn Deanna Duby and Mark Sedway People For The American Way Washington, D.C. The single most important way to protect the freedom to learn, to protect against censorship of educational materials and programs, is to get involved. Challenges are reaching every part of the public school curriculum: library books, reading series, health and sex education, counseling programs, environmental education, school plays, student newspapers, and more. Just as these censors have become more effective in their strategies, citizens and educators must organize and be decisive in their responses. The following are some questions and answers to enable activists to respond more effectively to censorship attempts. What is censorship? Censorship is the removal or restriction of materials by a governmental entity (e.g., a school system) with the intent of suppressing ideas and information. The hallmark of a censorship attempt is one person's desire to examine books, films and curricula for "objectionable" material as a means of supervising conduct or morals. Censors impose their views by deciding what others should not read or see. In schools, censorship occurs when materials are removed at least in part for ideological, religious or other reasons not having to do with their educational suitability. The Supreme Court has made clear that, under the First Amendment, a book may not be removed from a school simply because school officials or community objectors disagree with its ideas. Rather, school board decisions removing materials must be based on educational criteria, not on ideological, political or religious grounds. How do I know if an objection to school materials is a censorship attempt? Ask two questions. First, do the objectors demand removal of the material for all students, not just their own? Second, are the objections ideological, sectarian or otherwise non-educational in nature? If you answer yes to both of these questions, it may be a censorship attempt. What's the difference between the activity of concerned parents and the activity of those who are attempting censorship? One difference is crucial: concerned parents try to determine what books and materials their child can read. By contrast, those who attempt censorship insist that the school remove works for all children. Further, while concerned parents are content to speak for themselves, the would-be censor often claims to represent the views and concerns of all parents in the community, even in the face of strong evidence to the contrary. What tactics do the censors use? The tactics of censorship groups vary from community to community, but the campaigns employ a number of common strategies. Here's a composite model of a Radical Right censorship campaign, based on numerous incidents People For the American Way has tracked over the last several years: A local group distributes Radical Right materials in churches and throughout the community to mobilize opposition to a particular book or program that conflicts with their ideological or religious views. The group files complaints with the school or district demanding the material be removed. They appeal to the school board any committee decisions retaining the material. They use intense lobbying, aggressive publicity strategy, and threats of legal action to pressure the board. They often respond to any school board rejection of complaints with costly and time-consuming lawsuits, school board recall campaigns, or attempts to defeat school tax levies. If these strategies fail, Radical Right groups often sponsor candidates to run for local school boards who, if elected, will, carry out their agenda. In contrast to individual protesters/concerned parents who usually are willing to work with the schools, discuss the merits of challenged material and live with the decision of review committees and school boards Radical Right groups often promote hostility between parents and schools by their statements, divide communities with their tactics, and represent an ideological extreme in their views. Many groups will pursue challenges for a number of years until the material is removed. And even if the schools are able to withstand a protracted challenge to one program, attacks on other programs are never far behind. The success of these local censorship campaigns often depends on how well the groups can carry out their specific public relations strategies. For example, they often claim to speak for all parents, citizens and religious people in the community, even though research shows that this is rarely the case. And they often use a divide-and-conquer strategy, trying to cast the schools as "anti-parent," "anti-community" or "anti-Christian." The best antidote to these strategies is organizing broad support from all segments of the community parents, educators, community leaders, clergy and students. Steps In Fighting Censorship. The first step in fighting censorship is to gather the facts. Some of the questions to ask: What material is being challenged? What is the title? Who is the author, the publisher? Where is it being used in a classroom or library? What grade level? How is it being used? Is it a part of the regular curriculum or is it a supplement to the curriculum? How long has it been in the schools? Has it been formally adopted by the school board? Is it under consideration for adoption now? What is the objection? List the specific objections. What sections of the book or program have been cited as objectionable? Why? Look for "buzzwords" or rhetoric that may suggest organizational involvement. What does the objector demand? Removal of his or her child from the lesson or program? Restriction of the material to a certain age group? Outright removal of the text from the school system? Who is the objector? Is it an individual or a group? Who are they? If a group, do they have any affiliations with state or national organizations? Are they using Radical Right or other materials to support their challenge? Have they read the challenged material in its entirety? Have they raised objections to other programs or books in the schools? Do they have supporters in the community? Churches? Parents? Teachers? School board members? Does the school district have a reconsideration policy? If so, what steps does the policy require? Formal complaint? Review committee? Have these steps been followed? If there is no policy, encourage the district to adopt one. What actions have already been taken? Has the objector filed a formal complaint? What other action has the objector taken? Has the objector spoken with anyone in the school or on the school board? Gone to the local media? Circulated any information? Has a review committee been appointed? If so, who is on the committee and what is its schedule? Will there be an opportunity for public comment? Have the materials been removed during the review process? If so, does this conflict with the school district's reconsideration policy? When is the next decision? By whom? Is there an appeal process in place? Arguments Against Censorship Attempts. Censorship attempts threaten students' freedom to learn, teachers' academic freedom, and parents' rights. In fact, most parents are outraged when they learn of attempts to ban the books and materials their children are reading because efforts to remove books and materials for all school children undermine the right of each parent to ensure that their child receive the highest quality education, uncompromised by the ideological or religious objections of some individuals. Someone who objects to a book, most parents argue, may have a right to stop their own child from reading it, but not their neighbor's. Moreover, many censorship challenges represent conflicts between two opposing views of what public education in America should be. The most accepted view recognizes that creating productive, responsible citizens requires that young people be taught to think critically, to understand and respect the views of those different from them, and to appreciate a broad spectrum of ideas. This view also holds that children should be taught to respond to controversial ideas and different views with understanding and open talk, rather than with censorship and suppression. The opposing minority view is against teaching children critical thinking skills, self-reliance, and an appreciation for diversity. From this viewpoint, public education is instead seen as a vehicle for ensuring conformity with a particular ideology. This minority further believes that schools should teach simple "yes" or "no" answers to complex questions; condemn, rather than accept, those who behave and believe differently; and be stripped of any materials that conflict with a narrow, sectarian set of beliefs. =================================================== How to Win: A Practical Guide for Defeating the Radical Right in Your Community Copyright 1994 by Radical Right Task Force Permission is granted to reproduce this publication in whole or in part. All other rights reserved. For more information contact: Pat Lewis National Jewish Democratic Council 711 Second Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 544-7636 =================================================== This document is from the Politics section of the WELL gopher server: gopher://gopher.well.com/11/Politics/ Questions and comments to: gopher@well.com .