It’s not just books and cell phones that are being banned in schools. Here is a (very) partial list of items and activities schools have banned, attempted to forbid, or recently rescinded policies against:
Extreme hairstyles and dyed hair.
Spelling tests.
Cartwheels.
Flags, including the American flag.
Muslim head scarves.
Blogging.
Hugging.
Hugs over two seconds long.
Criticizing the superintendent of schools.
Trendy ties.
Peanuts.
Hoodies.
Signs at sporting events.
Birthday cakes.
Books about vampires.
Boys wearing makeup.
Playing in the playground before school.
Church flyers. (A California school tried, but was told they couldn’t)
Parents.
Ugg boots and bar earrings.
“Cyber bullying.”
Purses.
Laptops.
Backpacks.
Black shoes.
HPV vaccinations.
Soda.
Spiky hair.
Dogs.
“Obscene, distracting or disruptive jewelry” including a rosary.
Caffeinated energy drinks.
A corn-eating contest.
The Chocolate War, Olive’s Ocean, The Golden Compass, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are among the notable titles on this year’s list of the most frequently banned books, compiled by the American Library Association.
A challenged book is defined by the ALA as any ”formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” It’s interesting to see what gets people upset enough to complain. In the top ten, seven were challenged for being sexually explicit; five for using offensive language; two for religious viewpoints. Three of the most banned books were targeted for homosexuality, including the No. 1 banned book of 2007, “Tango Makes Three.” It’s a picture book about a pair of male penguins who adopt a child. The book, which I have not read, is based on a true story of penguins at the Central Park Zoo.
“With new dad Clay Aiken coming out of the closet, why can’t a children’s book about a couple of gay penguins catch a break?” asks the Momlogic blog. “Would you really object to your children reading ‘And Tango Makes Three?’ How about your kid buying a Clay Aiken CD?
Actually, I would object to my kid buying a Clay Aiken CD. But not because he’s gay.
Update: The Washington Post today reports on a conservative Christian group that is using “banned book week” to point out that books sympathetic to religious viewpoints are also being banned….by librarians themselves.
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