Dictionaries Banned from school?

[McConnaughay]

Dictionaries have been removed from classrooms in southern California schools after a parent complained about a child reading the definition for oral sex.



Merriam Webster's 10th edition, which has been used for the past few years in fourth and fifth grade classrooms (for children aged nine to 10) in Menifee Union school district, has been pulled from shelves over fears that the sexually graphic entry is just not age appropriate, according to the area's local paper.



The dictionary's online definition of the term is oral stimulation of the genitals. It's hard to sit and read the dictionary, but we'll be looking to find other things of a graphic nature, district spokeswoman Betti Cadmus told the paper.



While some parents have praised the move – [it's] a prestigious dictionary that's used in the Riverside County spelling bee, but I also imagine there are words in there of concern, said Randy Freeman – others have raised concerns. It is not such a bad thing for a kid to have the wherewithal to go and look up a word he may have even heard on the playground, father Jason Rogers told local press. You have to draw the line somewhere. What are they going to do next, pull encyclopaedias because they list parts of the human anatomy like the penis and vagina?



A panel is now reviewing whether the Menifee ban will be made permanent. The Merriam Webster dictionary joins an illustrious set of books that have been banned or challenged in the US, including Nobel prize winner Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, which last year was suspended from and then reinstated to the curriculum at a Michigan school after complaints from parents about its coverage of graphic sex and violence, and titles by Khaled Hosseini and Philip Pullman, included in the American Library Association's list of books that inspired most complaints last year.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk





I almost can see where their coming from however, my belief on this is that what their doing is a little bit extreme, who cares if a child sees a sexual word in the dictionary, it isn't like their were pictures and a long detailed description on exactly how it works. I just think their overreacting highly.

 

[Evil Eye]

Are people getting dumber?

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

I heard about this. Why would oral sex even be in there.

They are pulling it from elementary schools I think. 7 year old's don't need to know what a blow job is.

 

[Kasynlie]

That's funny. Why don't they just have school dictionaries?

 

[Raven]

I heard about this. Why would oral sex even be in there.

They are pulling it from elementary schools I think. 7 year old's don't need to know what a blow job is.

Thats what I thought. Rather strange. I dont ever remember a definition of oral sex being in my old dictionary

 

[MrMetroid]

What? Besides they are going to learn about it anyways so what's the point?

 

[Payton]

What a brilliant idea. Next they'll probably remove computers from schools, too, because there is a possibility that a child will find something remotely sexual on the internet!

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Around here, the small children can use restricted computers to play educational games and whatnot.

They cant look that stuff up on the internet anyways.



LIke I said, I think its just the elementary schools the dictionary was pulled from. When they get into middle school or higher they can look up oral sex in the dictionary and on the computer if they want.

 

[Corleone]

In elementary school, we couldn't use the internet. In middle and high school, you're old enough to use your own judgement to freely use the dictionary if you have such a desire and passion to look up bad words.

 

[Ashley]

I heard about this. Why would oral sex even be in there.

They are pulling it from elementary schools I think. 7 year old's don't need to know what a blow job is.

I agree. Sex words sounds like something that would be in a high school or even a college level dictionary. I would not want to use that in an elementary level setting, that's for sure.