The Supreme Court's ruling likely won’t end classroom content controversies—because defining “curriculum” isn’t as clear-cut as SCOTUS seems to assume.
As a teacher, I would include books representing all ideas as choices in my classroom. (I taught adolescents, not young children.) I would also inform parents at the beginning of the year that I am making these texts available, and it is their job to have a conversation with their child about what is appropriate for their child to read and not, so their child will make choices in line with those values. If parents had an issue with that approach, they had to sign the paper and have their child return it so we could discuss how to handle it.
If this case were about the presence of the books in the classroom and parents wanting to remove choices for other people’s children, that seems problematic, but this case seems to focus on parents expressing rights for their child and not being allowed to do so.
As you suggest, what if a school has not informed parents and their child comes home with a book that doesn’t align with their values? In this scenario, I believe it puts the responsibility on the teacher. That teacher then ends up being the values police for all kids in the classroom, which I agree could lead to additional lawsuits. By informing parents and making it clear that they have both rights and responsibilities when it comes to the text selection their child makes, I think it helps to head off many potential issues.
I think there’s a difference, though, between the act of having a book there, and the act of not having that book there. If that makes any sense.
Like, let’s say there’s a book some parents don’t want in the class library. By not having that book, the teacher isn’t preventing other students from reading that book—the teacher is just choosing not to assign it, or have it in the class library. The kids could still be read it at home, possibly at the public library, or another place. They could likely even read it in class if they brought it themselves.
So, I don’t think they are really equal infringements.
As a teacher, I would include books representing all ideas as choices in my classroom. (I taught adolescents, not young children.) I would also inform parents at the beginning of the year that I am making these texts available, and it is their job to have a conversation with their child about what is appropriate for their child to read and not, so their child will make choices in line with those values. If parents had an issue with that approach, they had to sign the paper and have their child return it so we could discuss how to handle it.
If this case were about the presence of the books in the classroom and parents wanting to remove choices for other people’s children, that seems problematic, but this case seems to focus on parents expressing rights for their child and not being allowed to do so.
As you suggest, what if a school has not informed parents and their child comes home with a book that doesn’t align with their values? In this scenario, I believe it puts the responsibility on the teacher. That teacher then ends up being the values police for all kids in the classroom, which I agree could lead to additional lawsuits. By informing parents and making it clear that they have both rights and responsibilities when it comes to the text selection their child makes, I think it helps to head off many potential issues.
I think there’s a difference, though, between the act of having a book there, and the act of not having that book there. If that makes any sense.
Like, let’s say there’s a book some parents don’t want in the class library. By not having that book, the teacher isn’t preventing other students from reading that book—the teacher is just choosing not to assign it, or have it in the class library. The kids could still be read it at home, possibly at the public library, or another place. They could likely even read it in class if they brought it themselves.
So, I don’t think they are really equal infringements.
What you state is also true, but I assume that some teachers will still choose to include texts as choices.