Causes.com
| 3.12.23
Ten Things Banned in American Schools (Hint, Guns Aren't One of Them)
Do you support gun control?
Updated on March 30, 2023
- Hope Carrasquilla of Tallahassee Classical School in Florida was forced to resign after a parent complained that sixth-grade students were being shown pornography in class. The pornography in question was Michelangelo's famous statue of David during a Renaissance art lesson.
- The lesson also contained references to Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" painting and Botticelli's "Birth of Venus", some of the most famous works in the Western art canon.
- Last year parents were sent an advance notice that Michelangelo's statue of David was going to be shown in class but principal Carrasquilla had not provided notice this year.
- Barney Bishop III, the chair of the school board, said:
"Parents are entitled to know anytime their child is being taught a controversial topic and picture."
Missouri's Republican-led legislature has rejected a proposal that would ban children from carrying guns in public. The proposal was rejected by a 104-39 vote with Republicans criticizing it as a redundant infringement on gun rights. This got us thinking about what is - and isn't - banned for kids in American schools...
Ten things banned in American schools
- Book banning has been gaining momentum in the U.S. The majority of these books emphasize transgender, LGBTQ, female, and minority voices. From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans listed 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.
- The words "poverty", “dinosaurs,” “birthdays,” and “Halloween” are banned on city-issued tests in New York because they could foster "unpleasant" emotions in children.
- One Pennsylvania school banned UGG boots because students were hiding cell phones in their shoes and using them during class.
- Some schools in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas have banned backpacks because of concerns about concealed weapons. One Long Island school has made clear backpacks a requirement for all students.
- In 2009, the New York City Department of Education banned schools from hosting bake sales by prohibiting the sale of "non-approved items".
- School districts in Florida, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Texas have all banned dodgeball, suggesting that it is violent and encourages bullying.
- A California school banned the game of tag because it is too rough.
- A school in Murrieta, California banned dictionaries for a few days after a parent complained about oral sex references.
- Some schools in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have banned hoodies, citing safety concerns.
- Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs have been banned in American schools because the plastic toys inside might pose a choking concern.
One item not banned in American schools
- Automatic weapons.
Contact your reps and demand action on gun control now.
—Emma Kansiz
The Latest
-
The Long Arc: Taking Action in Times of Change“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.” Martin Luther King Jr. Today in read more... Advocacy -
Thousands Displaced as Climate Change Fuels Wildfire Catastrophe in Los AngelesIt's been a week of unprecedented destruction in Los Angeles. So far the Palisades, Eaton and other fires have burned 35,000 read more... Environment -
Puberty, Privacy, and PolicyOn December 11, the Montana Supreme Court temporarily blocked SB99 , a law that sought to ban gender-affirming care for read more... Families -
Women Are Shaping This Election — Why Is the Media Missing It?As we reflect on the media coverage of this election season, it’s clear that mainstream outlets have zeroed in on the usual read more... Elections
Climate & Consumption
Health & Hunger
Politics & Policy
Safety & Security
#1 killer of children in the USA ...guns!
Stop catering to the NRA & wacko gun loving crazies.
Start taking corrective actions:
no bump stocks
no semi automatic weapons for anyone other than the military/police
Implement red flag laws across the country & have a national registry
No guns for felons and those convicted of domestic violence
Mandatory background checks
gun safety training for first time buyers
Guns must be required to be locked in a safe or have safety locks in homes where children live/visit
Get rid of stand your ground laws
Penalize anyone who buys, loans, or gives a gun to another who uses it in a crime of any kind, or is on a red flag list, felon, or convicted of domestic abuse
Encouraging even this community is split on gun control.
Guns in school? There was, by some staffer. Having more Guns you just more shot out or gun accidents !!!!!
What's the ONLY common denominator? GUNS, get it? So....advance sensible gun control. We're the ONLY Nation with intolerable gun violence.
Book, sertion words, outfits seem, LGBTQ, bathrooms and others are ban to protect children, but not guns?
Guns of any kind should be banned from schools. Security personnel in schools should only have guns if they intend to use them to stop another person with a gun (which is not what happened in Uvalde).
It would be better to fully screen everyone who enters a school so that nobody carries a gun. I hate that it's come to that, but it's the only way to try to keep schools safe.
Banning books, clothing, and other things is just another effort by right-wing gun lovers to act like they care about safety when really they just want to keep the gun lobby in power.
I think need to stop calling it gun control, and call it gun safety. I support measures to keep all Americans, especially children and vulnerable populations, from the rampant gun violence in this country.
It doesn't have to be "control", and we don't necessarily need to take anybody's guns.
We do need to make it harder for people with bad intentions to get guns, make it a requirement to store guns safely, and hold all who commit any kind of gun violence fully accountable so that others might be discouraged from trying to commit similar violence.
In the "greatest country" in the world, we should not be losing hundreds of people daily to gun violence. It is an embarrassment.