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Students lose access to books amid ‘state-sponsored purging of ideas’

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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By the "Freedom" party:

In one Virginia school district this fall, parents will receive an email notification every time their child checks out a book. In a Florida school system, teachers are purging their classrooms of texts that mention racism, sexism, gender identity or oppression. And a Pennsylvania school district is convening a panel of adults to sign off on every title that school librarians propose buying.


The start of the 2022-2023 school year will usher in a new era of education in some parts of America — one in which school librarians have less freedom to choose books and schoolchildren less ability to read books they find intriguing, experts say.
In the past two years, six states have passed laws that mandate parental involvement in reviewing books, making it easier for parents to remove books or restrict the texts available at school, according to a tally kept by nonprofit EveryLibrary. Five states are considering similar legislation. Typical of these is an Arizona bill, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in April, that requires districts to send parents who ask lists of the books their children check out, as well as to publish the titles of all library materials bought after Jan. 1. Policies are proliferating at the district level, too: One Nebraska system will require that parents sign permission slips for library books. A Texas system will divide its library into “juvenile,” “young adult” and “adult” sections, with parents choosing the “level” their child can access.


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“This is a state-sponsored purging of ideas and identities that has no precedent in the United States of America,” said John Chrastka, EveryLibrary’s executive director. “We’re witnessing the silencing of stories and the suppressing of information [that will make] the next generation less able to function in society.”
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No one is tracking how many districts have adopted such rules. But Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, said she has never seen such a strong, successful movement to limit the ability to read. She warned of lasting consequences for the current generation of students — especially given that school libraries are often the “only source of vetted, reliable information” on topics such as health care.

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“This shows an inability to respect the rights of individual students, particularly older students,” she said. “It’s treating them like 5-year-olds, which is not the most helpful or useful thing we could be doing, and is in fact teaching lessons in censorship.”

 
Gad damn mother effing people letting parents decide what their child has access to. Those sick ****s. 🙄
 
Every book every written is available on the internet.

Libraries are a relic of the 20th century.
 
Gad damn mother effing people letting parents decide what their child has access to. Those sick ****s. 🙄
Good point, up to this surge in activism by the GOP there was no way that a parent could be involved in their child's education.
 
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Details of each banned book would be something I would like to know before making blanket statement.
 
Gad damn mother effing people letting parents decide what their child has access to. Those sick ****s. 🙄
Then they can tell their child what to read or not read and keep their mouths shut about what's in classrooms or school libraries for the children of other parents.

Right?
 
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Then they can tell their child what to read or not read and keep their mouths shut about what's in classrooms or school libraries for the children of other parents.

Right?
Right. Just like in most of the examples in the op.
 
Gad damn mother effing people letting parents decide what their child has access to. Those sick ****s. 🙄
I’ve met a lot of parents who can’t even handle parenting. Last thing our education system needs is Joe Bumphuck deciding for everyone else what books are in the school library.
 
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Arizona bill, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in April, that requires districts to send parents who ask lists of the books their children check out, as well as to publish the titles of all library materials bought after Jan. 1. Policies are proliferating at the district level, too: One Nebraska system will require that parents sign permission slips for library books. A Texas system will divide its library into “juvenile,” “young adult” and “adult” sections, with parents choosing the “level” their child can access.

I’ve met a lot of parents who can’t even handle parenting. Last thing our education system needs is Joe Bumphuck deciding for everyone else what books are in the school library.
The examples above don't say they're deciding for everyone. Only their own kids.
 
Right. Just like in most of the examples in the op.
Bullshit...but you know that.
In a Florida school system, teachers are purging their classrooms of texts that mention racism, sexism, gender identity or oppression. And a Pennsylvania school district is convening a panel of adults to sign off on every title that school librarians propose buying.
Purging books is preventing children from accessing books in a school environment based on complaints from a few. Who is on that panel? is there a parent for every child in the district? Or is a group that may not even include parents deciding what books are not allowed?
 
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Bullshit...but you know that.

Purging books is preventing children from accessing books in a school environment based on complaints from a few. Who is on that panel? is there a parent for every child in the district? Or is a group that may not even include parents deciding what books are not allowed?
Did you read any of the articles linked in what you quoted? Or did you just get outraged because they incorrectly used the word purging?

Also, why does the op include several laws that let parents decide for their own kids? Is it because there is not enough scary new laws where one person has say over all? Duh, it's like you guys can't think or something. A good headline gets you every time.
 
Did you read any of the articles linked in what you quoted? Or did you just get outraged because they incorrectly used the word purging?
On the last day of school in Palm Beach County, teachers received a memo saying they had to review all the books in their classroom libraries for references to racism, sexism and oppression.

District staff sent out a list of questions teachers have to answer, like — does a book encourage students to believe that people are racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously?


If teachers answer “yes” or “unsure” to any of the questions in the district’s guidance, the book is to be removed from the classroom for further review.

That's the definition of purging.

purge (pûrj)

intransitive verb

  1. To clear (a container or space, for example) of something unclean or unwanted.
  2. To remove or eliminate (unwanted physical matter).
  3. To rid (a person or thing) of something unwanted.
 
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On the last day of school in Palm Beach County, teachers received a memo saying they had to review all the books in their classroom libraries for references to racism, sexism and oppression.

District staff sent out a list of questions teachers have to answer, like — does a book encourage students to believe that people are racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously?

If teachers answer “yes” or “unsure” to any of the questions in the district’s guidance, the book is to be removed from the classroom for further review.


That's the definition of purging.

purge (pûrj)

intransitive verb

  1. To clear (a container or space, for example) of something unclean or unwanted.
  2. To remove or eliminate (unwanted physical matter).
  3. To rid (a person or thing) of something unwanted.
For review.
 
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