Letter: Protect students' right to read

In the early 1970s, I was a junior and senior high school librarian in a rural Central Illinois town. A parent took offense to a book in the junior high school library collection and insisted the school principal remove the volume from the shelves. The principal witheringly gave in to the parent's demands. Fortunately, the school district superintendent acknowledged the value of the writing and the rights of reader access and overruled the school principal's censorship, thereby ensuring that the contested collection of short stories by renowned American author Edgar Allan Poe remained in the library's collection.

Sadly, some 50 years later, in a sophisticated, highly regarded metropolitan school district, some parents still insist on forcing their fears and bigotry on all students through attempted censorship of the school library collections. The challenged books in this case have been recognized and awarded by the American Library Association as well as other prestigious libraries and mass media publications for their vital role in encouraging self-acceptance and interpersonal understanding.

The freedom to read is a right of all citizens. It is the job of educators to defend the rights of students in their charge and to ensure that young people have the knowledge and tools needed to mature into informed and compassionate adults. If that knowledge lies between the pages of a controversial book, so be it.

Ellen Mandel

Glen Ellyn