Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Should schools be able to ban books?
Position1 of 3

No, schools should not be able to ban books

This position holds that schools should not be able to ban books. It argues that schools have no business policing what children read — that banning books suppresses diversity, attacks free expression, is outdated, and deprives students of books that can be their best teachers.

Supporting arguments · 4

  1. Banning school books is an attack on freedom of speech and expression
    The First Amendment gives everyone the right to hear all sides of an issue to make their own conclusions and judgments. Banning books infringes upon this right by preventing a person from receiving and interpreting ideas. This prevents a meaningful exercise of our freedom of speech and expression.
  2. Banning school books is an outdated practice
    Society has become far more interconnected, multicultural, and plural since the practice of book burning first began. Because of this, there is no need for censorship given our commitment to understanding and embracing content that is foreign to us and reflects different beliefs than we have.
  3. Books can be our best teachers
    There is an abundance of information we can learn from reading.
  4. Banning school books suppresses diversity
    Prohibiting books restricts learning about other lifestyles.