Nord discusses why religion has disappeared from public school textbooks and explores the significance of this absence for assessing whether the textbooks are religiously neutral. Argues that an understanding of politics, history, economics, and sociology demands the study of religion. Yusof, the responder, points out that the First Amendment does…

Discusses "Mozert v. Hawkins," pointing out four important factors in the case, and shows the reasonable and reasoned way the judge's final decision was made. (MD)

Recent Tennessee and Alabama court decisions raise similar issues involving (1) fundamental rights protected by the First Amendment and (2) the process of public education. Outlines the effects these decisions have on teachers and in classrooms. The supporters would suppress critical thinking and imagination while opponents would promote critical…

Part memoir, part courtroom drama, part primer for fighting assaults on free speech, this book narrates a 5-year-long federal battle which began in 1986 to reinstate several literary classics to the reading list of a public high school in Lake City, Florida. The book recounts how the superintendent, the local school board, and several religious…

Recent court decisions in Tennessee and Alabama requiring the teaching of "creationism" and the banning of "secular humanism" challenge educators to listen to the critics and present a wider curriculum including the role of religion in human affairs while protecting our heritage of intellectual freedom. (MD)

The growth of groups of the religious right has resulted in a major ideological division in the United States. Outlines the strength of these groups, the particulars of the secular humanism debate, and the ability such groups have to coordinate issues and join together in campaigns influencing public education. (MD)

Discusses "Mozert v. Hawkins County Public Schools" (Tennessee), a case involving a controversial reading textbook offending fundamentalist parents of six middle school children. The Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling, holding that uniform use of the Holt textbook was not essential to the state's goals to teach reading.…

Presents four essays that discuss (1) the continued apathy of many English teachers toward censorship of textbooks, (2) the tenuous commitment of the general public to the First Amendment rights of speech and assembly, (3) feminists as censors, and (4) the tendency of conflicts between censors and anticensors to be dominated by the extremes. (RBW)

The role of religion in American society has been ignored by textbook publishers and is not being taught in U.S. schools. The support for the separation of church and state is eroding as a result. Includes a sidebar providing supplementary resource materials on religion for use by teachers. (MD)

An attorney for the plaintiffs in the "Smith vs. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County, Alabama" case recounts his impressions of the trial, focusing on the nature of the press coverage. (NKA)

Attempts at censorship of books and periodicals used or made available in public schools have been increasing in recent years. Parents are raising a higher proportion of the complaints than ever before, and the percentage of complaints that are successful in having books removed from shelves is also on the rise. Three of seven federal court…

Presents an overview of the increase in incidents involving censorship in all areas of the United States. (NKA)

Focuses on the problem of censorship in the public high schools, examining the legal aspects of censorship in that setting. (NKA)