[lg policy] Linguistic hygiene: =?windows-1252?Q?=91Dirty_words=92_?=ban in Arizona schools advances

[Harold Schiffman]

‘Dirty words’ ban in Arizona schools advances

But changes limit censorship to teachers in classes below the college level
By Ben Wolfgang-The Washington Times Monday, February 20, 2012


Arizona’s foul-mouthed college professors are off the hook. And
secondary school teachers need just to watch their language in class.

The state’s teacher-censorship bill underwent an overhaul last week
amid fears it was too vague and could be extended to instructors’
private lives. The proposal, which prohibits the use of the infamous
“seven dirty words” or other language deemed indecent by the Federal
Communications Commission’s broadcast television policy, no longer
affects state colleges or universities.

It also now explicitly states that it applies only to “a classroom
setting,” not private conversations or Internet postings, as
previously written. The bill cleared the state Senate's Government
Reform Committee by a 6-2 vote last week. Its prime sponsor,
Republican Sen. Lori Klein, said in an interview Monday that her real
focus has always been school-age children, and the legislation now
reflects that aim. “These are the young, impressionable minds,” she
said. “We want to fill them with the highest ideals, values,
education, that we can. By the time they’re 18 and in college, they’ve
already formed their views.”

The measure has touched off a debate about both the free-speech rights
of teachers and the state government’s willingness to micromanage
policy at the classroom level. Critics contend that limits on
instructors’ words should come only from district school boards, not
the state Legislature. While most First Amendment advocates concede
that the bill doesn’t violate the Constitution, many worry that it
would represent a dramatic power transfer.

“What could be the possible benefit of taking the decision-making
control away from a local school district?” Ken Paulson, president of
the nonprofit First Amendment Center, said in a statement. “It’s not a
good practice for state governments to place limits on expression,
particularly when there’s such a viable local option.”

Ms. Klein agreed that, in a perfect world, school boards and
principals would voluntarily crack down on cursing teachers. But, she
said, that isn’t happening.

At a state Senate hearing before last week’s vote, Ms. Klein produced
a witness who said his child was encouraged by his teacher to shout
obscenities as a way to blow off steam.

Other panel members said they, too, had heard of teachers using
inappropriate language in front of their students. It was only as a
last resort, Ms. Klein said, that she decided to push the bill.

“The adults leading the classroom have to set the highest example,”
she said. “People are tired of this lack of civility. People are
desensitized to how people should comport themselves in public. They
may say this is an issue of local control. My point is, well, then
control it. Because right now, you’re not.”

The amended bill also gives teachers a few more chances to clean up
their acts, if need be. The original proposal called for firing after
the third violation, but the amended version makes termination
voluntary until the fifth incident. How those violations are tracked
and confirmed is unclear, and some of Ms. Klein’s colleagues remain
concerned that students could abuse their newfound power.

“Are we taking a kid’s word who might have an ax to grind? Who decides
that it really happened? All of a sudden, we have a teacher hung out
to dry … because a rogue student or students say, ‘Teacher, look what
I’m going to do to you today; I’m going to go complain to my
principal,’ ” said state Sen. Sam Smith, a Republican. “We all know
that kids hold angst against teachers. … It’s almost like the inmates
running the asylum.”

Despite those reservations, Mr. Smith voted for the bill, but said a
system to filter false claims must be implemented.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/20/dirty-words-ban-in-arizona-schools-advances/
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