"Attacks on the Freedom to Learn -- Online"

Melissa Ponder (mponder@edcc.ctc.edu)
Tue, 3 Jun 1997 12:32:56 -0700


>Welcome to "Attacks on the Freedom to Learn -- Online," the newest
>>online publication of People For the American Way. This is
>>our premiere issue, and you're receiving it because we think you, as
>>a Right Wing Watch Online subscriber, might be interested in
>>information about the censorship of materials and programs in public
>>school classrooms and libraries. **This will be the only issue you
>>will receive unsolicited.** If you like the newsletter and would
>>like to subscribe, you can do so easily and at no cost. Instructions
>>for subscribing are at the end of the newsletter.
>>
>>As you may know, People For the American Way has monitored school
>>censorship for 15 years, and reported our findings in an annual report
>>titled "Attacks on the Freedom to Learn." That report has grown over
>>the years in two ways. First, the overall number of incidents has
>>increased and, secondly, the incidents have become more complex. After
>>releasing the 1996 edition of the report, which at 300 pages
>>contained a wide variety of stories of ideological attacks on public
>>education, we began to explore better ways of disseminating this
>>information. We had received complaints about how large and unwieldy
>>the report had become, and we felt that the message of the report was
>>getting lost. So we decided to release the results of our research in
>>some new ways.
>>
>>This online newsletter will be published bimonthly. It will report on
>>attempts to remove or restrict educational materials or programs in
>>classrooms and libraries. We will also be publishing a report on the
>>Religious Right's assault on public education. As regular readers of
>>"Attacks on the Freedom to Learn" know, roughly 30 to 35 percent of
>>the incidents we reported on were initiated, directly or indirectly,
>>by Religious Right political groups. Their agenda includes not only
>>censorship, but the return of prayer to public school classrooms and
>>events, Creationism in the science curriculum, the passage of broad
>>"parental rights" legislation that would allow parents to cleanse the
>>curriculum of anything they find offensive, and, the Right's ultimate
>>goal, enactment of private school vouchers, so that public education
>>funds can be used to fund private and parochial schools. In order to
>>tell the story of the Right's sophisticated and well-funded attack on
>>public education, we will be devoting a report to that story, in all
>>its complexity.
>>
>>This newsletter does not include every censorship incident reported to
>>us. Rather it provides a sampling of the kinds of challenges that
>>have taken place during the 1996-1997 school year. Censorship in the
>>schools continues to be a serious problem. In this newsletter, we
>>have reports from Alaska to Maryland; from elementary schools to high
>>schools. Our premiere issue includes reports of attempted censorship
>>of articles in student newspapers, a science fair project, library
>>books and books in Literature classes. Again we see the names of some
>>of the most frequently challenged books, such as "Catcher in the Rye"
>>but we also see new books and new issues. What follows are some of
>>the highlights that have been reported to us. We hope you find this
>>information useful and informative.
>>
>>To receive "Attacks on the Freedom to Learn -- Online" on a regular
>>basis, please subscribe by filling out the form at
>>http://pfaw.org/aflo or sending e-mail to "maiser@pfaw.org" with the
>>message "sub aflo". A subject heading is not necessary.
>>
>>We would also like to hear from you if you are aware of censorship
>>incidents in your community. If you have an incident to report,
>>please e-mail us at attacks@pfaw.org or report your incident using the
>>form which is accessible from http://pfaw.org/aflo.
>>
>>
>>ATTACKS ON THE FREEDOM TO LEARN -- ONLINE 1.1
>>
>>AK, Anchorage: "Earthshine"
>>CA, Coachella Valley: Condom science fair project
>>CO, Colorado Springs: Student newspaper story on homosexuality
>>GA, Gwynn County: "Catcher in the Rye"
>>KY, Marshall County: Gluing pages of science textbook
>>MD, Frederick: Teen Yellow Pages
>>MA, Northboro: Heterosexuality questionnaire
>>MN, Anoka: "Goosebumps "
>>PA, New Wilmington: "Life and Works of Renoir"
>>TX, Pecos: "Beloved"
>>VA, Albemarle: "It's Perfectly Normal"
>>
>>
>>======
>>To receive "Attacks on the Freedom to Learn -- Online" on a regular
>>basis, please subscribe by filling out the form at
>>http://pfaw.org/aflo or sending e-mail to "maiser@pfaw.org" with the
>>message "sub aflo". A subject heading is not necessary.
>>
>>We would also like to hear from you if you are aware of censorship
>>incidents in your community. If you have an incident to report,
>>please e-mail us at attacks@pfaw.org or report your incident using the
>>form which is accessible from http://pfaw.org/aflo.
>>
>>People For the American Way | 2000 M Street NW | Washington, DC 20009
>>(202) 467-4999 | pfaw@pfaw.org | http://pfaw.org
>>
>>***MLS Online-An Internet BBS. (www.mlsonline.com) Focus: Family, Business &
>>Education. Voice Support: 716-454-5577
>

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