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    J Todd Chasteen North Carolina NCAC Letter

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    The National Coalition Against Censorship and American Booksellers for Free Expression wrote a letter to North Carolina legislative leaders expressing concerns about J. Todd Chasteen's nomination to the State Board of Education. They argued that his past efforts to censor the novel The House of the Spirits from a school curriculum due to its content made him an inappropriate choice for the board, which oversees public education in the state. The letter noted that removing material due to some finding it offensive violates principles of academic freedom and the First Amendment.

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    J Todd Chasteen North Carolina NCAC Letter

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    The National Coalition Against Censorship and American Booksellers for Free Expression wrote a letter to North Carolina legislative leaders expressing concerns about J. Todd Chasteen's nomination to the State Board of Education. They argued that his past efforts to censor the novel The House of the Spirits from a school curriculum due to its content made him an inappropriate choice for the board, which oversees public education in the state. The letter noted that removing material due to some finding it offensive violates principles of academic freedom and the First Amendment.

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    Has the governor of North Carolina nominated a book censor to the state Board of Education?

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    The National Coalition Against Censorship and American Booksellers for Free Expression wrote a letter to North Carolina legislative leaders expressing concerns about J. Todd Chasteen's nomination to the State Board of Education. They argued that his past efforts to censor the novel The House of the Spirits from a school curriculum due to its content made him an inappropriate choice for the board, which oversees public education in the state. The letter noted that removing material due to some finding it offensive violates principles of academic freedom and the First Amendment.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    734 views3 pages

    J Todd Chasteen North Carolina NCAC Letter

    Uploaded by

    ncacensorship
    The National Coalition Against Censorship and American Booksellers for Free Expression wrote a letter to North Carolina legislative leaders expressing concerns about J. Todd Chasteen's nomination to the State Board of Education. They argued that his past efforts to censor the novel The House of the Spirits from a school curriculum due to its content made him an inappropriate choice for the board, which oversees public education in the state. The letter noted that removing material due to some finding it offensive violates principles of academic freedom and the First Amendment.

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    19 Fulton Street, Suite 407

    New York, NY 10038

    Joan E. Bertin
    Executive Director

    tel: (212) 807-6222


    fax: (212) 807-6245
    email: ncac@ncac.org
    web: www.ncac.org

    NCAC PARTICIPATING
    ORGANIZATIONS
    Actors Equity Association
    American Association of
    School Administrators
    American Association of
    University Professors
    American Association of
    University Women
    American Booksellers
    for Free Expression

    BY ELECTRONIC MAIL

    American Civil Liberties Union


    American Ethical Union
    American Federation of Teachers

    June 3, 2015

    North Carolina General Assembly

    Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore


    Phil.Berger@ncleg.net

    Speaker Tim Moore


    Tim.Moore@ncleg.net

    Senator Dan Blue


    Dan.Blue@ncleg.net

    Representative Larry D. Hall


    Larry.Hall@ncleg.net

    Dear Legislative Leaders,

    As organizations dedicated to defending the freedom to read, we are writing to


    express concerns about J. Todd Chasteens qualifications to serve on the State
    Board of Education, which we hope you will consider in deciding whether to
    approve his nomination. In particular, we call your attention to Mr. Chasteens
    efforts to remove Isabel Allendes The House of the Spirits from the high school
    honors English curriculum in Watauga County schools. While as a citizen Mr.
    Chasteen has every right to publicly express his opinion about this or any other
    book, his effort to censor this critically acclaimed novel makes him an
    inappropriate choice for a policy-making and oversight role in the states public
    education system.

    In November 2013, a parent in the Watauga County school district challenged The
    House of the Spirits, which was being taught in a sophomore English honors class
    consistent with its inclusion in North Carolinas 10th grade curriculum on
    the grounds that the books content is graphic and immoral. The House of the
    Spirits, authored by Isabel Allende, is a critically acclaimed novel often taught for
    its insights into Chilean history and life under a dictatorship as well as an
    example of the magical realism genre. Parents and students at Watauga High
    overwhelmingly supported retaining the book in the 10th grade curriculum. The

    American Jewish Committee


    American Library Association
    American Literary Translators
    Association
    American Orthopsychiatric Association
    American Society of Journalists
    & Authors
    Americans United for Separation of
    Church & State
    Association of American Publishers
    Authors Guild
    Catholics for Choice
    Childrens Literature Association
    College Art Association
    Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
    The Creative Coalition
    Directors Guild of America
    Dramatists Guild of America
    Dramatists Legal Defense Fund
    Educational Book & Media Association
    First Amendment Lawyers Association
    International Reading Association
    Lambda Legal
    Modern Language Association
    National Center for Science Education
    National Communication Association
    National Council for the Social Studies
    National Council of Churches
    National Council of Jewish Women
    National Council of Teachers of English
    National Education Association
    National Youth Rights Association
    The Newspaper Guild/CWA
    PEN American Center
    People For the American Way
    Planned Parenthood Federation
    of America
    Project Censored
    SAG-AFTRA
    Sexuality Information & Education
    Council of the U.S.
    Society of Childrens Book Writers
    & Illustrators
    Student Press Law Center
    Union for Reform Judaism
    Union of Democratic Intellectuals
    Unitarian Universalist Association
    United Church of Christ
    Office of Communication
    United Methodist Church
    United Methodist Communications
    Womens American ORT
    Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance
    Writers Guild of America, East
    Writers Guild of America, West

    School Board ultimately retained the book, noting the curriculum offered an alternative selection for parents
    and/or children who did not wish to read The House of the Spirits.

    Although he has no children in the districts public school system, Mr. Chasteen lobbied a member of the
    district school board, urging him to ban the book. In emails obtained through a public records request, Mr.
    Chasteen called The House of the Spirits a sex book. In other comments, he objected to 59 sexual
    references, claiming that dysfunctional sexuality is the main theme of the book.

    While there may be shock value in isolating words and passages from The House of the Spirits, doing so
    reveals nothing about the fundamental message or theme in the work, nor can it provide insight into the
    books literary, educational, or cultural value. Worse, the ethical and literary value of a work is distorted if
    one focuses only on particular words, passages, or segments taken out of context. Further, by rejecting the
    policy to accommodate differing views about the book by providing an alternative text, Mr. Chasteen would
    have public school educators privilege the views of some parents over others.

    Throughout this affair, Mr. Chasteen displayed little or no appreciation for the constitutional obligations of
    public school officials, who are prohibited from removing educational material because some object to or
    disapprove of its content. The Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment protects the citizen
    against the State itself and all of its creatures Boards of Education not excepted, and further noted that
    the fact that public schools are educating the young for citizenship is reason for scrupulous protection of
    Constitutional freedoms of the individual, if we are not to strangle the free mind at its source and teach
    youth to discount important principles of our government as mere platitudes . . . . West Virginia Board of
    Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, 637 (1943).

    Thus, government officials may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea
    itself offensive or disagreeable. Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, 414 (1989). This principle applies with equal
    force in public schools: [L]ocal school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply
    because they dislike the ideas contained in those books . . . . Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free
    School District No. 26 v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853, 872 (1982). While school officials have greater discretion over
    curricular materials, the requirement remains that schools may only remove materials for educationally
    sound reasons, not because some object to their content.

    Nor do parents have a right to tell a public school what . . . [their] child will and will not be taught, Leebaert
    v. Harrington, 332 F.3d 134, 141 (2d Cir. 2003), or to direct how a public school teaches their child. Blau v.
    Fort Thomas Public School District, 401 F.3d 381, 395 (6th Cir. 2005). Any other rule would put schools in the
    untenable position of having to cater a curriculum for each student whose parents had genuine moral
    disagreements with the schools choice of subject matter. Brown v. Hot, Sexy and Safer Productions, Inc., 68
    F.3d 525, 534 (1st Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1159 (1996). Moreover, removing educationally valuable
    materials from schools because some object to their content subjects schools to potential legal liability. See
    Monteiro v. Tempe Union High School District, 158 F. 3d 1022, 1028 (9th Cir. 1998) (rejecting challenge to
    books based on racial content and recognizing the First Amendment right of students to read books selected
    for their legitimate educational value).

    Purging classrooms of works that contain sexual situations and other content that some find offensive
    would eliminate scores of esteemed literary works by Joyce, Faulkner, Morrison, Vonnegut, Hemingway,
    Steinbeck, Dostoyevsky, and many others. As these examples suggest, any attempt to eliminate everything
    that is objectionable . . . will leave public education in shreds. Nothing but educational confusion and a
    discrediting of the public school system can result . . . .McCollum v. Board of Education,332 U.S. 203, 236
    (1948) (Jackson, J., concurring).

    The North Carolina State Board of Educations vision is that [e]very public school student will graduate
    ready for post-secondary education and work, prepared to be a globally engaged and productive citizen.

    While we support Mr. Chasteens First Amendment right to voice his opinions, we believe that his campaign
    against The House of the Spirits must be taken into account in considering whether he is qualified to carry forward
    this vision. In our view, his disregard for First Amendment principles and principles of academic freedom, and his
    willingness to impose his worldview upon students throughout the public school system, are incompatible with the
    Boards mission of preparing students for further education, work, and global citizenship. In short, Mr. Chasteens
    appointment to the Board would undermine its credibility as a guarantor of a robust, well-rounded education for all
    of the states public school students.

    Thank you for your consideration, and please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

    Sincerely,

    Chris Finan, President


    Joan Bertin, Executive Director
    National
    Coalition
    Against
    Censorship
    American Booksellers for Free Expression

    CC: Representative Dean Arp: Dean.Arp@ncleg.net


    Representative Marilyn Avila: Marilyn.Avila@ncleg.net
    Representative John R. Bell, IV: John.Bell@ncleg.net
    Representative James L. Boles, Jr.: Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net
    Representative John R. Bradford, III: John.Bradford@ncleg.net
    Senator Harry Brown: Harry.Brown@ncleg.net
    Senator Ben Clark: Ben.Clark@ncleg.net
    Representative Susan C. Fisher: Susan.Fisher@ncleg.net
    Representative John A. Fraley: John.Fraley@ncleg.net
    Representative Mike Hager: Mike.Hager@ncleg.net
    Senator Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr.: Fletcher.Hartsell@ncleg.net
    Representative Pat B. Hurley: Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net
    Representative Charles Jeter: Charles.Jeter@ncleg.net
    Representative Grier Martin: Grier.Martin@ncleg.net
    Representative Graig R. Meyer: Graig.Meyer@ncleg.net
    Representative Henry M. Michaux, Jr.: Mickey.Michaux@ncleg.net
    Senator Louis Pate: Louis.Pate@ncleg.net
    Representative Garland E. Pierce: Garland.Pierce@ncleg.net
    Representative Robert T. Reives, II: Robert.Reives@ncleg.net
    Representative Bobbie Richardson: Bobbie.Richardson@ncleg.net
    Representative Paul Stam: Paul.Stam@ncleg.net
    Senator Jerry W. Tillman: Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net
    Senator Terry Van Duyn: Terry.VanDuyn@ncleg.net
    Representative Michael H. Wray: Michael.Wray@ncleg.net

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