Removal of “controversial” books is certainly censorship

I’m writing in response to the Mat-Su school board’s vote to remove five “controversial” books from the English 3/American Literature booklist and to remove The New York Times - The Learning Network as a mentor text/teacher resource for journalism classes.

As a high school English teacher and a member of the curriculum council, which approved these courses and reading lists, I felt blindsided. I can only imagine how members of the text selection committee felt. This group of 14 teachers and librarians carefully chose books for the course, then sent it out for public comment. 76 parents responded and offered a 92% approval rating even before adjustments were made. The materials were then reviewed three times and unanimously approved by the curriculum council, then submitted to the school board.

Something is seriously wrong when five members of the board, who have been uninvolved with course development and materials selection processes, then censor the findings of educators and parents tasked with selecting curriculum resources.

As far as disallowing The New York Times - The Learning Network as a teacher resource, here are three recent articles from The Learning Network site:

• How Are You Feeling About Missing Prom?

• Live Webinar: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts

• What Students Are Saying About Family Conflict in Quarantine, Starting Over and Health Care Heroics

Any teacher of a journalism course will seek out these kinds of resources for lesson planning and instruction. And, as Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Amy Spargo pointed out at the meeting, resources available on The Learning Network can be used in the context of any media source, not only New York Times articles. Additional resources including the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Anchorage Daily News, and schooljournalism.org are listed in the curriculum.

I urge the school board to reconsider what many in our community feel was a poorly informed and highly biased mistake, one seen as based on fear of controversy and moral objections rather than considering what is best for students. Students need, students indeed want, safe, guided, thoughtful opportunities to look at, read about, discuss, and write about controversial topics. Doing so, nurtures much needed critical thinking skills. Difficult topics will inevitably cause some discomfort, but a person must be willing to step out of comfort in order to grow.

Paul Morley,

Palmer