This post by Joan Bertin, former executive director of the 91探花聽Coalition Against Censorship and 2017 91探花 Intellectual Freedom Award Winner, is reprinted from The Council Chronicle (June 2018)
Many people recognize that the First Amendment聽is essential to protect individual freedom,聽advance democratic ideals, advocate for social聽change, and hold elected officials accountable.
Fewer know about the critical role it plays in public聽education. It is the key to fending off attacks on public聽schools and teachers for teaching about evolution, climate聽science, and sexual health, and for exposing students to a聽wide variety of literature. These are the kinds of materials that are challenged in schools around the country on a daily basis.
The Role of Professional Educators
The Constitution doesn鈥檛 tell teachers or schools what聽or how to teach; rather, it recognizes the essential role聽of professional educators in selecting the materials for a聽sound educational program that serves the needs of all聽kinds of students.
However, the First Amendment does protect the聽right of students to read material that has been selected聽for its educational value, even if some people consider聽it offensive, controversial, or wrong-headed. The聽integrity of public education depends on this principle聽and the teachers who implement it. Without it, public聽education would be chaotic or meaningless.
Challenged Books
Consider a few of the books that have been regularly聽challenged: Beloved, Harry Potter books, Are You聽There God? It鈥檚 Me, Margaret, and many more.American Library Association.)
Textbooks are also vulnerable to challenge鈥攅specially history, social studies, science, and health聽texts鈥攂ecause some people disagree with content聽that is widely endorsed by subject matter experts.
Regardless of what kind of book is at issue, the test聽under the First Amendment is whether a book or idea聽has educational value, not whether people like it or聽agree with it.
This sounds reasonable in principle, but in practice聽it鈥檚 not always so easy. Faced with a specific book鈥攕ay Adventures of Huckleberry Finn鈥攕ome parents,聽students, and even teachers will be put off by language聽that is widely considered offensive. They鈥檒l ask鈥攚hy that book? Isn鈥檛 there another choice that鈥檚 not聽offensive? Of course there are always other books, but聽virtually every book is vulnerable to challenge. People聽have widely different views of what materials are聽鈥渙ffensive鈥� or 鈥渁ppropriate,鈥� and it is not possible to聽please everyone; once one book is removed, there鈥檚 little聽rationale to prevent the removal of others. If today it鈥檚聽Huck Finn, tomorrow it might be The Diary of Anne聽Frank or The Merchant of Venice.
The Remedy for “Bad” Speech
This doesn鈥檛 mean that teachers and students should ignore聽aspects of books that are disturbing or offensive. It鈥檚聽often said that the remedy for bad speech is more speech,聽not enforced silence. The First Amendment encourages聽discussion of controversial ideas, in part to expose ideas聽that are flawed or harmful. In the marketplace of ideas, the聽theory is that better ideas will prevail through reasoned and聽informed debate and persuasion.
Preserving the freedom to read, think, and speak freely聽requires effort.
The challenge for teachers is to help聽students learn both to tolerate speech and ideas they dislike聽and to respond to those ideas critically and effectively. In聽other words, to prepare them to engage constructively in聽today鈥檚 diverse and contentious world.
I鈥檓 so grateful to all the members of 91探花 who do this聽hard work on a daily basis. It鈥檚 not easy!
During her 20 years as executive director of the 91探花聽Coalition Against Censorship, Joan Bertin tirelessly advocated聽on behalf of public school teachers facing censorship battles聽in communities throughout the United States.聽In 2017, 91探花 honored Bertin with the 91探花 91探花聽Intellectual Freedom Award for her courage in advancing the聽cause of intellectual freedom.聽