Censorship+in+Private+Education

=Censorship in Private Education=

By Elizabeth Anderson

Private schooling is a major component of the United States education system. The history of the education system in the United States has shown changes in the importance and dominance of both public and private schooling. The early years of the education system saw a mix of unregulated schooling throughout the nation. As the United States grew, public schools grew in dominance by its support legislatively, financially, and politically (Jones, 2008, p. 2). "...The social chaos of the nineteenth century brought on my industrialization, urbanization, and immigration prompted new efforts to establish free, nonsectarian schools throughout the land." (Jones, 2008, pp. 2-3)

The growth and strength of the modern-day private school begins near the end of the nineteenth century with significant developments in the Catholic church with regards to education. In 1925, the National Catholic War Council, an organization brought forth during World War I to ensure Catholic unity during the tumultuous time, won a decisive Supreme Court case that supported development of private schools. "...The famous //Pierce// decision... firmly established the legal right of private and religious schools to exist in America." (Jones, 2008, p. 10) In 1950, Catholic hierarchy declared in a pastoral letter that "human freedom derives from the spiritual nature of man" and that in order to "fulfill the future moral responsibilities to God", they must be able to "establish and maintain schools which will continue to enlarge the spiritual development of the child." (Jones, 2008, pp. 5-6) The efforts of Catholics schools to participate in the education system of the United States lead to other religious communities providing schooling opportunities for their faithful. "The key to the longevity of religious schooling in American has been its gradual acceptance by multiple communities rather than growth in any one particular community. In fact, even as Catholic school enrollment has gone down (though it is still the largest portion of the entire religious school enterprise), the percentage of students in religious schools more broadly has been fairly stable precisely because Jews and Protestants, among others, eventually opted for faith-based schools." (Jones, 2008, p. 5) The history of private schooling has gone through ups and downs in terms of prevalence, but most currently we see the move from "public education" to "education of the public" where the line between public and private schools has become increasingly blurred.

Today, the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) describes a private school as, "not supported primarily by public funds, provides classroom instruction for one or more of grades K-12 or comparable ungraded levels, and has one or more teachers. Organizations or institutions that provide support for home schooling without offering classroom instruction for students are not included." (NCES, 2011, p. A-1) A more substantial definition says, "Private schools (sometimes known as nonpublic schools) exist in the United States as corporate entities separate from public schools, which are supported by the government. Though they differ widely in function, geographical location, size, organizational pattern, and means of control, these schools have two features in common–they are ordinarily under the immediate control of a private corporation (religious or unaffiliated), not of a government agency or board; and they are supported primarily by private funds. They are characterized by a process of double selection because the schools select their teachers and students and the parents select the schools for their children." ([|Private Schooling - What is a Private School?]) NCES also goes on to divide private schools into three main subgroups: Catholic, other religious, and nonsectarian. (NCES, 2011, p. A-3)

The [|Council for American Private Education] states that in the 2009-2010 school year about 10% of all students preK-12 were enrolled in private schooling institutions. The National Center for Educational Statistics also presents data that shows the current trends in terms of the amount of private schools currently operating in the United States. The chart below shows that between the years 1989-2006, the amount of privates schools has steadily increased.



While knowing that private schools continue to play a major role in the United States education system, it is also important to look at the modern technology being used in those schools. According to [|Private School Review], technology in private schools has become the norm. The majority of private schools have computer labs, portable computing options, wireless networking, and utilize Web 2.0 tools. Most also employ technology professionals to support development. The NCES //Stats in Brief: Computer and Internet Access in U.S. Private Schools and Classrooms: 1995 and 1998// shows that significant gains in technology use occurred in private schools from 1995-1998. From 1995 to 1998, the percentage of private schools connected to the Internet increased from 25 percent to 67 percent. Also, in 1995, there were about 99 private school students per computer with Internet access, but by 1998, there were 12 private school students per computer with Internet access. (2000, pp. 1-3)

The issue of censored content in private education bases itself in the fact that private schools, by nature, receive no funding from the government. With no funding from the government, private education has no obligation to adhere to First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, the primary force working against censorship in the United States. Because private schools are private entities, they may create their own governing code that restricts speech or other communication.

One example of censorship in private education takes place at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta, New Jersey, In 2005, students at the high school were instructed "to remove all personal postings about the school or themselves from Web sites like MySpace.com or Xanga.com, even if they were posted from the students' home computers." When criticized on the censorship of students through school, "the diocese argued that the issue of censorship was not a matter of legality, but rather an agreement between school, parent, and student." "Frank Askin, director of Rutgers University's Constitutional Law Clinic, said the case could be an interesting free speech test if someone took it to court. 'They are a private school, and they can have whatever rules they want,' he said. 'But students do have rights in this matter, especially in New Jersey. Under our state's constitution, private entities that exercise some kind of dominion over people have to respect their free speech rights.'" ([|AP], 2005) The censorship in this case was never brought before the courts and parents and students complied with the recommendations.
 * Pope John XIII Regional High School**

The censorship in this example calls into question the rights of the school to suppress the expression of its students outside of school and when not related to school. This case also also touches on censorship of technology. Students were blocked from online content by their own school. Ultimately, the school had some authority due to the fact that it was a private entity and did not have to answer to the national government when private agreements were made between school, parent, and student.

In 2007, Andrew Trees, a history teacher, was terminated from Horace Mann School, a private high school in New York, "which charges about $30,000 a year in tuition, has a sterling reputation, sending a third of its roughly 170 graduates each year to the Ivy League." Trees taught at the high school for six years and had "written a satirical novel, __Academy X__, about an elite school where students and parents resort to bribery and blackmail to ensure Ivy League college admission." When Mr. Trees, a highly admired teacher, was let go, an uprising of students took place in which 30 individuals walked out of class to protest the ruling. The act was compared to the scene in the film "Dead Poets Society" in which students of Robin Williams, also a highly admired teacher, upon his departure, stand on their desks reciting poetry that he taught them. ([|Salkin], 2007, p. 1) Below is a clip of the film:
 * Andrew Trees and the Horace Mann School**

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"Horace Mann teachers generally work on one-year contracts, although after three consecutive years they go through a review process, and, if approved, are assured their contracts will be routinely renewed “provided their performance and the needs of the school warrant continuation of their employment,” according to Mr.Trees’ lawsuit, which quotes the faculty handbook. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 5 [2007] in Bronx Supreme Court, claims that Mr.Trees was dismissed because of his novel, and that Horace Mann did not follow proper procedures in terminating his employment. Mr.Trees said he had passed the three-year review and continued to receive positive job evaluations." ([|Salkin], 2007, p. 1) As of now, the its unclear as to whether the lawsuit has been settled.

Another professional casualty tied with this case is that of Danielle McGuire, a fellow social studies teacher. After joining a group of "63 other faculty members, alumni, parents" in signing a letter of protest against Mr.Trees' termination, Ms. McGuire was told by administration that she was risking losing her summer pay. Eventually she was paid her dues, but her contract to teach was also not renewed. "A day after the march into Mr.Trees’ classroom, a group of students came into Ms. McGuire’s [office to discuss further ways to protest the teacher’s dismissal. Ms. McGuire recalled that one student asked: “Do you think it’s safe for us to talk here? Are there cameras and listening devices?” ([|Salkin], 2007, p. 2)

Following the terminations, four teachers resigned from the school Professional Concerns Committee "noting, 'We have lost confidence in our ability to work effectively to ensure the consistent and fair application of school policies.'" ([|Salkin], 2007, p. 2)

The censorship in this private schooling case comes initially against instructors. The instructors in this scenario allegedly had their private, personal expression suppressed. The censorship issue did not stop there, though. Because students saw their instructors as victims of censorship, they responded by also feeling threatened by censorship. This story shows how a seemingly small issue of censorship can lead to an overall fearful culture of censorship. Another prevailing issue brought up by this case is the idea of a private school being a private entity, where national standards of freedom of expression are not as clearly upheld.

One of the most documented and notorious discussions of censorship in private schooling comes in the scientific debate over evolution and creationism. "At one end of the spectrum lies special creationism, based on a literal interpretation of the Biblical Genesis account, in which it is maintained that the earth was created by God over a period of 6 days between 6000 and 10000 years ago, that all life was created in its present form at the same time, that Adam and Eve coexisted with dinosaurs, and that Noah's flood was an historical event. At the opposite end of the spectrum lies theistic evolution, in which evolution is accepted as the proximate cause for the existence of mankind, with God, working through the laws of nature, as the ultimate cause. Various intermediate theories lie between these poles." ([|Kelly], 2002) Because of the high percentage of private schools that have a religious, specifically Christian, orientation, its necessary to look at the the curriculum presented to students. For example, in 2008, Parkway Christian High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan, was criticized for its stance of solely teaching creationism to its students. Ryan C. Secord, of [|mlive.com], a Michigan online news source, says, "Private schools aren't required to follow the Department of Education's 2006 Michigan Merit Curriculum, which establishes requirements for public high school biology classes. The reason for the requirements is to ensure quality education so students can be competitive in the 21st century educational environment..." (2008)
 * Evolution vs. Creationism**

In 1999, the //Technical Journal// (now the //Journal of Creation//), reported that 15-20% of private schools teach creationism, with some also teaching evolution. (Bergman, 1999, p. 118) In the Michigan case previously presently, a comparable school in the same area presents both evolution and creationism to students. Again, Secord, "...Western Michigan Christian School in Muskegon teaches that God's plan can include an evolutionary process. David VerMerris, a consultant and West Michigan Christian school's former principal, says the curriculum covers a combination of creationism and evolution." (2008)

The issue of censorship in the case of evolution and creationism becomes controversial when private schools suppress the presentation of ideas that their public school counterparts and governmental policies deem important. This could turn into an extensive debate over the validity of both sides, but as Secord says, the exclusive inclusion of creationism in curriculum prevents students from material that is widely regarded as an essential requirement of education.

Several steps have been taken in order to prevent censorship in private schools. One such step is the enactment of California's Leonard Law. From [|California's Legislative Information] website, California's Leonard Law extends all First Amendment rights of free speech to students attending private post-secondary educational institutions. In short, the law says that First Amendment rights, those often suppressed during censorship, must be extended to all citizens, regardless of educational institution. California law recognizes that though private schools are private in nature, students till hold rights protected under our Constitution.

The [|Student Press Law Center] also provides legal advice for student press at private schools. The site says, "Contrary to popular belief, however, all is not lost on the private school campus. The First Amendment is not the only weapon available to defenders of free expression. There are valid legal theories, along with strong policy arguments, that may help the private school journalist confronted with threats and acts of censorship." The center feels that even as private school attendees, students have a right to have their uncensored voices heard, that their voices are just as valuable as their public school counterparts.

One key aspect to the censorship in private education topic is that parent have a choice as to whether they send their child to a private or public school. Amongst many other reasons, parents send their children to private schools because of the education presented. In some ways, parents may expect, accept, and embrace censorship from private schools. Some parents may choose to send their children to private schools because they do not what their children exposed to certain things.

The censorship issue becomes really unclear when presented in the light of private education. The issue is further complicated when the new complexities of technology are added to the mix. Those involved in private school education, teachers, administrators, parents, and students should keep aware of what may be suppressed through censorship and its impacts on the the individuals as well as the education system as a whole.