attempts were successful. California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio, and Washington were among the states reporting the highest number of incidents. According to one source affiliated with People for the American Way, the assault against intellectual freedom in the nation's schools is reaching monumental proportions: "The attacks are bolder, broader and more organized than ever before. Indeed, public education is under a sustained political attack that is unprecedented in our history" (Morgan, 1995a, p. 179).
Background and Current Status of the Issue
As with all controversial issues, there are opposing viewpoints in the school censorship debate. Some believe that students should be protected from offensive or subversive material, particularly during adolescence when their minds are unsophisticated and impressionable. Proponents of this point of view feel that teachers and librarians have a responsibility to present materials that inspire the highest standards of morality and citizenship. Further, they contend that the values set forth by the educational institution should reflect the majority values of the community at large.
Proponents of intellectual freedom base their arguments on the traditional ideals of democracy. They contend that secondary school students should be exposed to a diversity of dissenting opinions. Thus school censorship of controversial material impinges on a student's right to a quality education.
The issue of school censorship has increasingly come under scrutiny by the American judicial system. A variety of plaintiffs--librarians, parents, teachers, and students--have challenged the removal of books from school libraries. At least four types of censorship situations have been involved in these challenges. The first, and most prevalent, involves "noncirculation decisions" in which school staff has removed or restricted the use of materials previously acquired by the i...