Too Tired? Too Anxious? Need More Time? We’ve got your back.
TOPIC: Civil liberties and banning books. View the news report about Texas banning books, (NBC News, Feb 2, 2022), Texas schools ban record number of books (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-books-race-sexuality-schools-rcna13886).
Your textbook discusses the First Amendment and freedom of speech. One of the more visible issues of free speech has been the banning of certain books in public schools. The American Library Association (ALA) posts a list of Banned and/or Challenged Books. Go to
This is a dilemma posed to educators as well as the Courts. According to political watchdogs, “Censorship demands require educators to balance First Amendment obligations and principles against other concerns – such as maintaining the integrity of the educational program, meeting state education requirements, respecting the judgments of professional staff, and addressing deeply held beliefs in students and members of the community.”
“The First Amendment in Schools: Censorship ,”https://ncac.org/
Additional information can about banning books and censorship can be found at
American Library Association’s list of banned books (ctrl-click to use this link)
www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/index.cfm
For our discussion, make an argument supporting or opposing the banning of certain books in public schools. Consider these questions in your argument:
1.Is book banning constitutional or unconstitutional? What parts of the constitution support your argument?
2.What is the criteria that you would use for censorship? Would the Supreme Court agree or disagree with you, given their history in interpreting this action?
3.What is the proper balance between freedom of speech and an educator’s judgment to censor?
4.What would like to see happen in Katy ISD, as described in the news story above?
www.Firstamendmentcenter.org
www.usconstitution.net
Too Tired? Too Anxious? Need More Time? We’ve got your back.