Notifying+Parents+about+controversial+books

=The Case: Should Parents Be Notified About Books with Sexually Explicit Content?=

In Virginia, the state Senate voted “…to give parents veto power over sexually explicit in school…The measure would have the State Board of Education come up with criteria to identify sexually explicit material so schools can inform parents ahead of time. Parents who object could opt their students out, and alternative books would be provided. The policy is similar to what the state does now for sex education classes, but it focuses largely on literature classes. A Northern Virginia parent brought the issue forward after one of her sons was told to read the Pulitzer Prize winning book "Beloved," by Toni Morrison…Republicans emphasized that this is a parental choice bill, not outright removal of books. Senate Democrats said they feared a slippery slope toward censorship, and taking power out of local hands. Other bill critics have said some teachers may cast aside great works with sexual passages to avoid teaching two books at once” (Daily Press, 2016). This policy is not saying that explicit books be removed from the school, including the library. Informing parents ahead of time could prevent further actions to a school board and state officials. Parents would still have a choice as to what their child’s teacher chooses to teach from, but it is not removing the material all together. At high school age, students should be exposed to all genres of literature and taught maturity when reading a novel with graphic details. Working with parents and teachers to reach a common agreement on materials with references can help avoid a conflict and not censoring/selecting certain materials. Parents should be informed about what is going on at school, but students should still be allowed to access all materials.

Daily Press. (2016, March 1). //Va. legislature: Give parents veto over sexually charged school books.// Retrieved from http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-ga-sexy-books- 20160301-story.html

=We feel like this IS a form of censorship and should be voted down. Here's why:=

1. **Books like Toni Morrison's //Beloved// have their place in the classroom as great literature, and students deserve to be exposed to both the good and bad in the society in which they live:**

"By taking the work of Toni Morrison out of the curriculum, and banning the presence of her books on the shelves of school libraries, the American system of education is doing the future generations an atrocious disservice. Toni Morrison‘s novels are meant to remind the American public not to forget their roots–no matter where those roots may lie. The “60,000 and more” to whom Morrison dedicates her novel, //Beloved//, cannot be forgotten. By denying Morrison access into the open minds of America‘s youth, the nation is encouraging a generation of naïve, sheltered individuals who do not have a grasp of the broader picture that brought our country where it is today"

Kenniston, S. E. (2009). //Literature censorship and the modern American classroom// (master’s thesis). Retrieved from http://content.library.ccsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ ccsutheses/id/1005#?

2. **Rather than exposure to this type of literature influencing children to misbehave, it often has the opposite affect and gives them validation for their own feelings and how to deal with them in a productive way.**

"Books connect adolescents to experiences and questions they have, to the turmoil and confusion they feel. Every year my middle-school students request opportunities to talk about novels by Cormier, Peck, Paterson, and Lasky. These books depersonalize issues for adolescents and parents; meaningful communication often occurs by examining the problems the characters face. Teachers can enlist support for using controversial books in the classroom by encouraging parents to read the novels and discuss them with their children. Books will then become a bridge linking children to home, school, and community.”

Robb, L. (1992). Books in the classroom: controversial novels. //The Horn Book Magazine//, (3). Retrieved from https://ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/// //login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.12301509&site=eds-live&scope=site//

3. **There is already a precedent for protection of these books in the classroom.**

//The 1975 court case// Island Trees v. Pico// ended in support of the school's book choices stating that books cannot be removed "because [parents] disagree with ideas."

Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico by Pico. (n.d.). //Oyez//. Retrieved April 21, 2016, from []