Senate Leaders Condemn Supreme Court Decision Allowing Censorship in Schools

HARTFORD – Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Friday ruling in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case.

“This alarming Supreme Court decision sets a dangerous precedent that allows a vocal minority to dictate what can and cannot be taught in American classrooms. It was exactly this trend we sought to address when we passed legislation protecting libraries from similar censorship. It may start with removing materials that acknowledge the existence of gay and lesbian people, but its chilling effect will be more pervasive: teachers forced to alter their lesson plans to avoid controversy and students left with a limited and unrealistic worldview. By appeasing a narrow ideological viewpoint, we deprive a generation of the critical thinking that education requires. Our children deserve to learn about the diverse reality of our world — not someone’s close-minded opinion of what it should be.”