Attempts to censor books and curricular materials in schools have increased by 20 percent over the past year, and by 168 percent over the past five years, according to an annual survey by People for the American Way.
The survey found that 37 percent of the 153 incidents documented during the 1986-87 school year resulted in materials being removed, restricted, or modified. In 1982, materials were restricted 26 percent of the time.
The survey also found that censorship attempts increasingly involve organized groups, and that a growing number are aimed at the curriculum.
Copies of “Attacks on the Freedom to Learn: The 1986-87 Report” are available from People for the American Way, 1424 16th St., N.W., Suite 601, Washington, D.C. 20036.
