Provides background information about the Political Correctness debate, encourages student affairs administrators to reflect on their own perceptions and actions, offers ideas and suggestions about the debate, and explores the debate's implications for student affairs staff. Is intended to promote both individual reflection and group discussions…

Even though the high school publications adviser in the Hazelwood East High School Supreme Court case of 1983 was named as a petitioner with school officials, some litigation and much research indicates that advisers have often encountered administrators in an adversarial role. Because "Hazelwood" ruled that the school newspaper is part…

The difficulties of defining academic freedom are noted in an exploration of recent judicial attempts to define the scope of teachers' First Amendment rights in the area of intramural speech. The exhaustion of administrative remedies in cases brought under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 (a basic statute in such cases) is also discussed. (JT)

The right to discuss controversial issues in public schools is examined in the court case of Keith Sterzing against the Stafford, Texas, School Board. The court ruled that the school board was wrong to fire Sterzing for teaching about race relations with controversial materials. (DE)

This paper examines the censorship of school library books and school textbooks in American public schools, with particular emphasis on recent court cases. The 1982 Supreme Court case, Island Trees Union Free School District versus Pico, is examined in detail, and it is argued that Justice Brennan established precedent for a "right to…

Academic freedom, at institutions of higher education, is discussed in terms of questions raised about the ability of an institution to dismiss an instructor. In the first case, "Martin v. Parrish," the instructor was dismissed for using profanity in the class. The second case, "Carley v. Arizona Board of Regents," centered on the importance of…

The issues of prior restraint and press censorship are examined in this paper, which focuses on the 1970 Williams v. O'Brien court case. The paper discusses the litigation, in which Robert F. Williams, as an American citizen living in Peking, China, sued the United States Postmaster General over the banning of the May 1967 issue of "The…

Because public schools are designed to serve the widest range of interests and are committed to the ideal of democracy, teachers cannot afford to avoid teaching works or presenting ideas that offend some members of communities. Students need to learn the value of controversy and of the challenges posed by a text. Richard Wright's "Native Son" and…

The first half of this volume presents an introductory essay defining the First Amendment and the legal aspects of censorship, and offers an annotated list of books that have been banned at various times throughout history. The annotations, arranged according to the birth dates of the authors, include a chronological account of the censorship…

Ideas, facts, and techniques about censorship and fighting censorship are the subjects of the articles in this extensive issue. Some of the topics discussed are censorship in other states, censorship in the elementary school, rational censorship, racism and censorship, the North Dakota book-burning incident, student rights in high school…

This paper addresses itself to the question of whether the courts determine educational policy, confining its discussion to three court cases. The cases focus on academic freedom and the authority to dismiss, the rights of an individual to discuss in public the injustice of his transfer, and reverse discrimination. (Author/JF)

Philadelphia poet and journalist Horace L. Traubel's work as biographer of Walt Whitman has overshadowed his role as crusading editor. Traubel (1858-1919) devoted 30 years to publishing the "Conservator," a monthly newspaper that reflected its editor's idiosyncratic philosophy and crusaded persistently for libertarian principles. He made…

In Rampey v. Allen faculty members and administrators sued an Oklahoma state college alleging nonrenewal of their contracts abridged their freedom of expression and due process rights. The author examines the circuit court decision in their favor determining that it was a step forward in defining the boundaries of academic freedom. (JT)