Courtney+Dorn

"25 Banned Books That You Should Read Today." DegreeDirectory.org. N.p., 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. . Guiding Question:  **Should books be banned in public schools and libraries?** The issue is that public schools and libraries are banning books. By doing so, it goes against the First Amendment and therefore takes away the free rights of students and citizens that go to the library. This is a vital topic that needs to be addressed by students, parents, teachers, and everyday citizens alike. By researching this affair, I hope that people will be able to make justifiable claims as to why there should not be book banning and that people realize why it annihilates their rights.


 * Pros of Book Banning || Cons of Book Banning ||
 * Keeps material from children that parents do not want them to see (ex. indecent words, mature topics of adulthood, etc.) || Keeps children in public schools away from real issues presented in life ||
 * Separation of Church and State (in some cases) || It affects the First Amendment ||
 * || Students are not able to go and learn material not covered by the curriculum in a library ||
 * || Censors every student, not just one student ||
 * || Books are conversation starters, so there is a need for them whether it be for conversations in class, home, or with the student’s friends ||
 * || Students will rebel and want to read it more because it is banned ||
 * || Keeps ideas from other cultures, religions, ways of life, and knowledge from getting out into the public ||

Court Cases ** Incorporated: ** Island Trees School District Board of Education v. Pico: The Island Trees Union Free School District’s Board of Education attempted to ban books for being “filthy” in their public school libraries. Students Steven Pico and Francis Pico decided to confront the Board’s decision to vetoing the books. The court ruled that they themselves had no right to decide what should be in school libraries and the Board did not have a right to prohibit books because of differentiating ideas written within them.

Monteiro v. The Tempe Union High School District: An African American freshman in a public high school was being made to read Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because it was on the mandatory reading list for English classes. However, her mother wanted the book expelled from the reading list because of the derogatory language used in the time period the novel is set in. On the other hand, of course, the school did not want to comply with the parent and get rid of it because it was a part of the curriculum. The court decided that the books would not be removed from the mandatory reading list.

Right to Read Defense Committee v. School Committee of the City of Chelsea: A school committee in Chelsea, Massachusetts wanted to forbid Male and Female Under 18, a poetry anthology, from their public school library because it included an "offensive" poem. It was challenged by the Right to Read Defense Committee and taken to court. The court ruled that it was perfectly fine to have the anthology in the library because the library was the place for students' own education, enrichment, and new ideas to be presented to them.

What I Think:
Although many believe that restricting certain material in public school libraries is protecting students and showing them morally “correct” ways to carry through life, this is simply not the case. Taking books out of public school libraries is censorship and does go against the First Amendment rights of students. Not only will it not actually protect them from real world issues, but it will not allow them access to information not put into the curriculum. Libraries allow students to think liberally and make decisions for them after presented with new points of view from authors throughout time and all over the world. Barring other students and not just sensitized parents’ students benefits no one in the end and it, too, affects the other students’ First Amendment rights. This censoring is mind control. It is the gateway to losing all rights because many students would never be exposed to problems and solutions that have worked and failed throughout time. It is a way to contain information from enriching the minds and creating new content that could change the world forever. Also, by barring information, it would possibly never give future generations a chance to create concepts, ideas, philosophies, and points of view that would allow progress politically and socially. By taking these books away, you are taking everyone’s natural rights as people to do whatever they may. Take a stand or accept a future of censorship and imprisonment in the mind of those who censor.

Bibliography 
American Civil Liberties Union. “Book Banning Threatens Free Speech.” Free Speech. Ed. John Boaz. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Current Controversies. Rpt. from “Editorial.” Banned Books Week. 1998. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

"Ban About Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed on One Page." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.

"Bill of Rights." Bill of Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Bradbury, Ray. "The Sieve and the Sand." Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. 83. Print.

Healey, Christina, and Tracey M. DiLascio. "Counterpoint: Book Censorship Can Be Justified in Some Cases." Points of View: Banning Books, 2011, P3-3, 1p. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

ISLAND TREES SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION v. PICO. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 12 November 2012.

"MONTEIRO v. THE TEMPE UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT." , No.Ã¢ÂÂ‚97-15511., October 19, 1998. Find Law, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

Parker v. Hurley. U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circui. 31 Jan. 2008. Uscourts.gov. N.p., 31 Jan. 2008. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. "The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression Â» Muzzle Archive 2011 Â» The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression." The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression Â» Muzzle Archive 2011 Â» The Thomas Jefferson Center For the Protection of Free Expression. N.p., 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. [].