Republican lawmakers are introducing legislation to ban books, discourage teachers from dealing with unpleasant events in American history, and hold schools liable if students are caused discomfort as a result of classroom instruction.
Trust local Boards of Education and professionals to make intelligent decisions regarding the choice of books to be studied. If members of the community are uncomfortable with a book choice, they should deal with that concern at the local level.
These lawmakers believe it is ok to say there were slaves, but oppose including instruction on how the slaves were treated. They would advise avoiding teaching about conditions on the slave ships and the selling of slave children away from their parents. Presented properly, students can deal with the truth.
Regarding the discomfort of children, a reasonable amount of discomfit should be expected when teaching our history of slavery and Jim Crow and should be viewed as evidence of empathy and compassion.
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Bottom line is that Republican lawmakers are advocating not telling the truth about America.
Stuart Sellinger
Northwest side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
