Censorship of Textbooks in Public Schools Essay

Censorship of Textbooks in Public Schools - Essay Example Indeed, while it is perhaps a precaution to protect a child from violent images, it becomes counterproductive to protect students from educational facts that exist only to enhance their learning experiences. The greatest argument for book censorship is the fact that children should not be subjected to certain topics. Some people even go as far as to say that there are some topics that a person of any age should not be aware of (Edwards 29). School and public libraries, and even many bookstores and distributors do not carry certain books, or else put them in a section that warns potential buyers that the books contain material that is considered censor-worthy. Books ranging from The Catcher in the Rye to the beloved Harry Potter series have found themselves victims of censorship; J.D. Salinger’s acclaimed novel for its adult subject matter, and J.K. Rowling’s masterpiece due to its magical, imaginative content. In response to this argument, those against censorship feel that it should be up to a parent to decide what their children should or should not be reading. For older children and teenagers, the choice should be their own. People on the outside of a family, like school teachers or librarians, should not be influencing a child’s taste in reading because it prevents them from exploring the world through books. In regard to the censoring of textbooks, parents find it ridiculous that facts should be considered horrid enough that others have found a need to censor them at all (Sherrow 15). Information provided to students in a school setting, controlled by a teacher and a textbook, can hardly be considered dangerous to the students. When a subject is being taught in schools, it is due to the fact that the subject serves a purpose, whether as simply knowledge or to help further a child’s education. If certain information is being censored, children are being denied vital intelligence; in many cases, children are given false informatio n to make up for the lack of truth (Kravitz 147). This causes students to be misinformed, which can bring about negative impacts years down the road, like when the students are preparing for higher education. If the information they learned during their time in public schools is incorrect or else missing, these students risk falling further behind in their later studies. It should not be up to a teacher or school administration if a topic should not be covered by the school. Textbooks are written based on grade and age level, providing information that specific age groups should be taught (Brown 82). If these books pass approval as textbooks for public schools, then, upon being bought, they should be entirely implemented in the classroom. Unless the information presented in the textbook is inaccurate, there is no reason that the textbooks should be censored. They are not providing students with dangerous information or ideas, nor are they presenting students with lies or false facts . They serve the purpose of teaching children vital information. Censoring school textbooks have more negative effects than positive. In fact, many textbook writers and teachers alike are unable to find any positive effects of censoring textbooks.