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https://www.fredericknewspost.com/opinion/columns/parents-cannot-dictate-what-other-parents-children-can-read/article_18cca635-5116-571b-920b-c66da0727c7f.html>
"The American Library Association fully supports the right of every parent to
control what their child reads and to select alternative reading or
instructional materials for their child. We do not believe, however, that a
parent’s right to control their child’s reading includes a right to restrict
what other children read, or to limit the books that are available to young
people in the library.
Our belief is rooted firmly in the First Amendment. Young people have First
Amendment rights — not only the right to speak but the right to access and use
the resources of the school or public library, free from any censorship that
arises from disapproval of a book’s content or views. Our courts of law —
including the Supreme Court — have said that a decision by a school or library
board to remove a book from its library because the board disapproves of the
words, ideas or opinions contained in the book is a violation of a minor’s
First Amendment rights.
This principle applies even when it is a parent or group of parents demanding
that elected or appointed officials censor books they find shocking or
inappropriate because the books conflict with their moral, political or
religious beliefs. While the First Amendment promises freedom of belief, and
the right to express that belief, it does not guarantee a right to dictate to
school boards or library boards what ideas or beliefs may be found in our
publicly funded libraries.
Publicly funded libraries are community institutions that must serve the
interests and information needs of every child, every family and every
individual in the community. By necessity, their collections must reflect the
diversity of thought and values that exist in every community."
Via Girl of the Sea.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
