The issue of censorship in schools presents a conflict with the right to protect children from offensive material and the right to express ones self freely. “In the United States, the issue of censorship is approached from the standpoint of the first amendment protection provided in within the Bill of Rights” (Baker 263). However, I cannot argue that the first amendment should be reason enough to stop censorship because the underlying moral principles must be considered. It’s common sense that young children in elementary school should not be exposed to certain ideas because they cannot comprehend them. High school students, on the other hand, should have the opportunity to be exposed to all ideas that are expressed in literature.
“Censorship is a type of interference that occurs whenever someone intentionally alters, eliminates a part of, or completely bans a material that is claimed to be objectionable” (263). Censorship is a way of denying people of the ideas of another. In high schools all over the country certain books have been banned due to the inappropriate nature of their content. “According to the American Library Association, more than 5,000 co
The fact of the matter is that freedom of choice also plays an important role in this issue. “This concept refers to any type of choice we make which is directly under our control. Conditions for free choice include being aware that we have alternatives and being psychologically able to select from alternatives” (Baker 271). Teenagers are fully capable of making their own decisions concerning what books they want or do not want to read. It should be up to the individual whether they want to read a particular book, not their parents. They should never be deprived of a piece of literature because someone else finds it offensive. Teenagers are competent enough to comprehend a book’s theme, overall meaning, and lesson. If they decide a book is objectionable, then and only then, they may choose not to read it.
Some members of the community feel that it is their responsibility to shield their children from “offensive” books that are available in schools. “A parent asks that a book be banned because he does not want his child to be exposed to it” (Coatney 17). As a matter of fact “the past eighteen months have brought a sharp increase in attempts to censor a
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