Naples Daily News | Page B06 Sunday, 10 December 2023
Open inquiry in education must be supported
Like many in our community, the League of Women Voters of Collier County is opposed to the widespread censorship of books in public schools. We believe that the free flow of information and critical analysis of texts are the hallmark of educational inquiry. Students, guided by their parents and teachers, should be exposed to new experiences and viewpoints — these are the stimulus to learning.
The League of Women Voters believes that an educated citizenry is essential to a healthy democracy. In order to receive a full education, students need to have access to history that is truthful and narratives that reflect the experiences of our diverse population. Education often involves exploring painful issues, understanding their root causes, and developing ways to move forward positively. We also affirm the essential role of parents in guiding choices of reading material for their children, but we are opposed to allowing single parents or small groups of parents to make this decision for all.
We would have hoped that Collier County Public Schools would have been less conservative in selecting books for removal from the shelves of school and classroom libraries (and we understand that some revisions may be made in the list). And we wish that school districts throughout the state would express more opposition to implementation instructions that result in the removal of literary classics and other volumes with high educational value. Yet we understand that such acts of courage are risky in the present political climate.
The current legislation presents media specialists and local school administrators with a Hobson’s choice: remove potentially 'offensive' books from a school district’s shelves or have media specialists face possible felony charges. If we asked for a show of hands from media specialists who wanted to remove almost 400 titles from circulation or from administrators who wanted to expose staff to felony charges, we would likely see few, if any, hands raised. The fault lies in the legislation and implementation measures behind book banning. The focus needs to be on the root cause.
Possible remedies are new legislation rescinding the overly restrictive actions of past bills or modification of the implementation measures put forth from the Florida Department of Education. Citizens of Collier County can call upon our elected representatives (Senator Kathleen Passidomo and Representatives Bob Rommel, Adam Botana, and Lauren Melo) to lead this effort. We believe that our lawmakers must protect our freedoms and support open inquiry in education. That is what they are elected to do and we must call them to account.
So, we urge that each of you who are opposed to book banning write a letter, make a call, or visit our state legislators to express our opposition.
Diane Preston Moore is president, League of Women Voters of Collier County; Nancy Van Note Chism, Ph.D., and Patricia Plummer, Ph.D., are co-chairs, Education Committee, of the League of Women Voters of Collier County.