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Letter to Santa Fe We recently sent a letter to a school in Santa Fe, Texas. You can read it here! |
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October 26, 2000 Richard Ownby Dear Superintendent Ownby I am writing to you on behalf of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free statement, which was established in 1990 to help defend free statement, particularly printed speech. ABFFE's members are independent booksellers from around the country, and almost all of them are enthusiastic supporters of J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter books. I am also the coordinator of Muggles for Harry Potter, a national group of 17,000 kids and parents who oppose censorship of the Potter books. We have learned from press accounts that principals in the Santa Fe Independent School District have imposed restrictions on the use of the Potter books. According to the Galveston County Daily News of October 5, you are aware that some or all of the principals now require parental permission to borrow the Potter books from school libraries. You are quoted as saying, “....[W]e'll need parental permission. We don't want to ban it.” Although requiring parental permission stops short of a total ban, we believe that this restriction denies many children the opportunity to encounter some extraordinary books that they may otherwise never know. The Potter books have been widely credited with encouraging children to put aside the flashy attractions of video games and other technological marvels. They are discovering the joys of reading and using their imaginations. Booksellers have seen the evidence of this transformation with their own eyes. Despite the bestselling status of the Potter books, most kids have never read one. Many parents have never heard of them, and many who have cannot afford to buy them in a bookstore. Public schools and libraries are the only hope that these children have of discovering Harry Potter for themselves. The Santa Fe schools have apparently decided to throw additional obstacles in the way of these children. Presumably, the Potter books have been removed from the open shelves of the school libraries and are available only when a child presents a permission slip. But how are children going to encounter these books in the first place, if they are not available for browsing? And, once they know about Harry Potter, how are they going to convince their skeptical parents to sign permission slips? The parents will naturally assume there must be something wrong with the books if the school is requiring permission to use them. Most will err on the side of protecting their children from whatever objectionable content the books may contain. Indeed, your policy, which is justified as necessary to protect a parent's right to make an informed decision about the books their children read, actually works to keep them ignorant. How are parents supposed to know whether a book is appropriate if their children cannot bring it home for examination? We believe that if the parents of Santa Fe had a chance to voice their opinion, an overwhelming majority would oppose your restriction. A school superintendent in Zeeland, Michigan, tried to limit access to the Potter books in a similar fashion last year. Following protests, a committee of parents and educators was appointed to decide the issue. The committee voted to rescind all restrictions except a ban on classroom readings in the elementary schools. Yet, even if only a minority of people in your district favor the Potter books, they have a First Amendment right to demand that these books be available in the public schools without restriction—and so do their kids. It is too often forgotten that children have First Amendment rights. We believe that your policy violates their right of free speech as well as that of their parents. We urge you to follow the example of the Zeeland school superintendent and rescind this unconstitutional restriction. Sincerely yours Christopher Finan cc: Members, Santa Fe Independent School District
Back to the "Fight for Harry!" Main Page
Kidspeak is a registered trademark of Brighams, Inc Copyright © 2001 American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
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