Schools must be allowed and encouraged to include the experiences of marginalized communities in classrooms, along with access to books and resources reflecting their voices, the ABA says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ABA House of Delegates on Monday at the 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing laws, regulations, policies and ordinances that would restrict teaching about marginalized communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile book banning has become a major issue in this country, so has curriculum banning,\u201d said Darcee Siegel of Florida, a delegate from the Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCurriculum bans prevent teaching complete and historically accurate curricula,\u201d Siegel said, adding that robust curricula are essential to educating well-rounded, civic-minded and fully informed adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resolution 505<\/a> is intended to address attempts at the state, local and school board levels to modify school curricula by restricting information, teaching and discussions about the contributions and history of traditionally marginalized groups, racism and the history of people of all genders. The resolution focuses on protecting the ability to teach about and provide access to books and resources based on the experiences of individuals who are members of the LBTQIA+ community as well as all genders, races, ethnic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow along with the ABA Journal\u2019s coverage of the 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> \u201cProponents of curriculum bans claim that inclusive curricula harm children by causing them to feel guilt or by exposing them to explicitly sexual material. There is no evidence for these\u00a0claims,\u201d the report<\/a> accompanying the resolution says. \u201cHowever, there is plentiful evidence that excluding positive representations of racial and ethnic minorities and LGBTQIA+ people does harm to children during important formative years of their mental, emotional and psychological development, resulting in durable damage to their health and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Siegel said \u201cthe real fight\u201d is about banning ideas. She also described recent efforts to restrict what can be taught in public schools as attempts to whitewash history and control the views students have of themselves and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEducation should not be politicized,\u201d Siegel said, saying it is \u201cimperative that the ABA take action to support students\u2019 rights to education and their teachers\u2019 efforts to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the signing by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of the Parental Rights in Education Act, books with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes have been removed from school libraries around the state. (Douglas R. Clifford\/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bills legislating censorship in schools, colleges, libraries and universities have been on the rise in recent years, according to PEN America<\/a>, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of free expression. In 2022, Florida adopted the Parental Rights in Education Act, known to critics as the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay Act,\u201d which prohibits classroom discussion related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Since then, other states, including North Carolina and Arkansas, have followed suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resolution 505\u2019s report cites another Florida law that is of concern. \u201cA notable example of state censure is Florida\u2019s 2022 Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which included measures prohibiting teachers from discussing matters related to race, color, national origin or sex, effectively curtailing any discussion of slavery and marginalization in American history,\u201d the report says. \u201cThe law is currently subject to a temporary injunction as judges parse its overreach and impediment of First Amendment rights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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