Removing Dictionaries from School

Removing Dictionaries from School in Menifee  resulted in questions about censorship and book banning by several concerned parents. School officials banned the Merriam Webster’s’ 10th Edition Dictionary from all Menifee Elementary Schools, Riverside County, in California. . It seems a student located the term “oral sex” in the dictionary prompting a call from the parents. Some parents are questioning the move, citing the fact that the words murder, kill, and rape can also be found in a dictionary and it is the job of the parent to explain things to their children as they arise. One parent suggested that if the dictionary was to be banned then every book students had access to, might also need to be reviewed for content. A district spokesperson, Betty Cadmus, said this is the first time a book has ever been removed from the classroom and that further review of the dictionary would take place. She indicated that the term simply was not appropriate at this age. Some school board members questioned why they were not consulted prior to the removal; however, one board member and father of four, indicated he supported the temporary ban until further review.


This is a school dealing with censorship possibly for the first time. Have they handled it appropriately? Due to the publicity, they probably over reacted. After reviewing comments from parents I discovered the dictionary is the collegiate edition which could easily explain the problem. As one parent indicated, why aren’t they using the elementary edition? There was also question about school officials censoring books without going through the school board which represents the parents. First Amendment Rights are at risk. This matter only became news worthy because the dictionaries were removed without going through the appropriate channels. Really it is not age appropriate material, but the situation was caused by placing the wrong dictionary, 9000 of them, in the classrooms to begin with. Someone did not do their homework and the media loves it.