local moors and political currents have long created controversy over the subjects taught
in public schools they also affect the conduct of students and teachers dress codes for students and
teachers vary widely across the united states so does the subject matter in classrooms presenting
the same topics in widely differing curricula the controversies have been in the past and are in the
presence of social political moral and religious issues they affect health both mental and physical
family relationships and the role of educators in american society the controversies include the
right of parents to demand what information their children receive in government-funded schools
but they also affect the services provided by primary and secondary schools in modern
society services such as daycare nutrition and counseling all generate considerable debate
and controversy regarding basic education in america here are some of the controversies of
today regarding what is taught in classrooms social requirements and school administration
10. the lost cause the lost course myth emerged following reconstruction developed primarily by
groups such as the united daughters of the confederacy udc sons of confederate veterans
scv and other like-minded organizations it promulgated the myth that slavery was not the
root cause of the american civil war alternatively the south went to war to preserve states rights
which were protected by the constitution in the lost course mythology enslaved people were well
treated and for the most part content with their lot in life their belief in white superiority
in the antebellum south plainly described in the founding documents of the confederacy
was not included in the lost course myth for nellie's century the udc scv and other groups
used their considerable political influence to control how history was taught in southern
schools the lost course myth was perpetuated in elementary and secondary classrooms as efforts
to debunk the myth expanded in the late 20th and early 21st century cries of revisionism in the
schools emerged among those who knew only the distorted history that they learned in school
efforts to erase the myths and replace it with historical facts generated and still generates
considerable controversy in protests it expanded to public parks monuments military bases and other
sites honoring the confederacy and its leaders and soldiers 9. lunch shaming in 2016 an alabama third
grade student arrived home after a day in school with his hand stamped the stamp read i need lunch
money accompanied by a smiley face the stamp was intended to remind his parents to add money to
his school lunch money account for some it was a harmless reminder to others it was a means of
shaming the student particularly susceptible to such shaming are students participating in the
supplementary nutrition assistance program or snap snap provides low-income americans
with monthly food benefits in 2019 44 of snap recipients were school-aged children states have
taken steps to restrict using children to protest against snap itself a controversial topic through
lunch shaming in schools throughout the nation children participating in snap or with low or
negative food account balances were identified publicly through various means such students
were required to wear wristbands or have their hands stamped or offered different meals than
those received by students paying for their meals such efforts to identify students of poorer means
exposing them to embarrassment humiliation and shame remain controversial lunch shaming remains a
source of considerable controversy despite efforts at some state and federal levels to eliminate it
8. darwin's theory of natural selection versus creative design versus creationism from its first
publication in the 19th century darwin's theory of natural selection has generated controversy
how or if it is presented in schools remains a point of contention it is a debate which has been
argued in schools churches state legislatures and even the supreme court of the united states
in 1987 that supreme court ruled the teaching of creationism in public schools was unconstitutional
that led to the birth of creation science or creative design supporters have both demanded that
they be presented as an alternative to natural selection whenever the latter is taught numerous
states have enacted such balanced treatment laws only to find them struck down in the courts
in the court's views creative design is based on science however dubious rather than religion and
is thus constitutional attempts to drive darwinism from public schools and either replace it with
creation science or ignore the topic altogether a controversial across the country how controversial
in kentucky it's possible to visit the big bone lick state park where fossils from the
pleistocene epoch up to 2.5 million years ago were found about an hour away the same visitor
can visit the creation museum where displays of creation science claim that the earth is
less than 7 000 years old students are encouraged to visit both facilities
7. censorship and banned books according to time magazine as well as numerous other sources efforts
to ban certain books from public schools have been increasing for years some books are targeted by
conservative groups because they deal with lgbtq issues others are selected for banning because
they're considered by some to be inappropriate books such as john steinbeck's of mice and men
harpolis to kill a barking bird have been banned by various school boards across the country
as they respond to pressure from those who consider them damaging to young psyches or
otherwise subversive the argument against banning one book is based on the precedent
it sets if one book can be banned any book can be banned the first book ever banned in the u.s
the adventures of huckleberry finn has a long history of being removed from school libraries
for numerous reasons when it first appeared in 1885 librarians and educators banned it for
its coarse language considering it bordered on illiteracy later it was banned for use of the
n-word a revised version replacing the offensive word with slave was later banned for offensive
stereotypes attempts to ban books viewed by psalm as offensive for whatever reason continued to
generate controversy in america's public schools and libraries a relatively recently developed
weapon in such campaigns is the use of social media in some cases school board members have even
called for the challenged books to be banned and burned 6. student dress codes and standards school
dress codes and personal appearance standards have long been controversial as they evolve to
adjust to changing community standards imposing dress codes is often seen as discriminatory
towards girls and young women across the country school boards banning leggings and yoga pants
on female students raised dissent among those who preferred to wear them standards on hem lengths on
skirt length of shorts tube tops and other types of clothing have been protested against often on
social media other types of clothes often banned by dress codes include t-shirts bearing messages
considered offensive hoodies sagging pants and hats promoting controversial positions in
2018 a student at maryland school showed up for class in deliberately ragged jeans the teacher
presumably offended by the skin exposed by the tares ordered the seventh grader to cover them
with duct tape across this country students pushed back against similar actions by school authorities
and administrators arguing that female students and those of color are singled out for dress code
violations due to such controversy the argument for adoption of school uniforms for all public
school students has gained ground in the 2017-2018 school year just over 20 of all american public
schools mandated school uniforms for all students 5. freedom of speech and its limits freedom of
speech in public schools is both a topic for study and a right held by the students according to the
united states supreme court students in public schools quote do not shed their constitutional
rights to freedom of speech and expression at the schoolhouse gate yet school administrators often
exercise their obligation to limit freedom of expression when it threatens the rights of others
or is disruptive of the school environment such limits raise cries of violations of the rights of
the students so limited according to the american civil liberties union students retain the right to
display their opinions on abortion or in support of certain social activities and moral beliefs yet
many school systems attempt to restrict them under community pressure schools can and do restrict
freedom of expression in a myriad of ways they cannot ban free speech but they can ban speech
that is slanderous they can ban expression which is considered obscene or pornographic
if they want to ban hat supportive of a specific message they must ban the wearing of all hats
in short while learning of the rights guaranteed by the first amendment and the remainder of the
bill of rights for that matter students can be required to be respectful of their obligations
to their fellow citizens who also bear the same freedoms as with any other aspect of american life
freedom of speech is and will likely always be a subject of controversy in public schools 4. global
warming climate change and carbon footprints some states have taken the position that there are two
sides to the issue of global warming having not accepted global warming as scientific
fact they attribute it to the same attitudes as held by some regarding evolution climate
change the almost universally accepted result of global warming remains controversial in american
schools school boards and state legislatures have different viewpoints on the issues and the result
is considerable controversy over teaching them texas louisiana kentucky and south dakota are just
a few of the states that require global warming climate change carbon footprints and humanity's
role in creating them to be taught in a balanced manner according to the south carolina legislature
global warming is quote a scientific theory rather than a proven fact one argument against
teaching climate change in public schools is that teachers are unprepared to do so science textbooks
carry little information about the subject even when they contain anything at all climate and
weather patterns have long been largely ignored in american science curricula the role of people
contributing to climate change is debated in political circles despite the overwhelming
consensus of climate scientists that the personal reduction of carbon footprints is imperative
as well as urgent in a 2016 npr ipsos poll over 80 percent of parents with children in public schools
indicated they favored teaching the subject yet many states continue to resist doing so or demand
alternative explanations of the phenomenon to be presented 3. government-funded healthcare
and vaccines the centers for disease control recommend teaching healthcare to students at the
elementary and secondary levels they base their recommendations on several issues with the primary
being the clear connection between early education in the subject helping to reduce health risk in
pre-teens and teenagers yet health care and the government's role in providing it to individuals
remains controversial the debate is simple what is the role of the government and through
government public schools in providing information regarding health care as well as access to health
care through government programs most parents comply with vaccine requirements for access to
public schools though anti-vaccine movements have gained support beginning with protests over the
mmr vaccine and its debunked links to autism in the early 21st century a special concern
for schools and educators is addressing issues of mental health the national education association
estimated that about one in five teenagers in american schools 20 have some form of
identifiable mental health condition this creates problems for the student the family the teachers
and classmates yet discussions of mental health issues in classrooms of american public schools
remains a contentious topic as of this writing mental health issues remain a daunting challenge
in public schools as do the means of identifying and helping those students who suffer untreated
number two sex education and gender identity laws concerning the long-standing controversy over
sex education in public schools fall under the jurisdiction of the individual states what that
means is what is taught and what is not taught varies depending on where a child is educated
across the united states sex education has always been controversial until fairly recently the main
issues generating controversy were when the topic becomes age-appropriate birth control local values
and the subject of abstinence in some communities the subject of abstinence is required identified
as sexual risk avoidance in more recent years emergence of lbgtq issues gender identity sexual
harassment unisex restrooms sexually transmitted diseases and others have added to this controversy
while the majority of parents have long agreed some sex education should be presented in schools
there has never been agreement on what should be taught and at what age for example according
to a study by the center for american progress 40 states did not address either healthy sexual
relationships or what constitutes sexual assault in their sex education curricula as recently as
2018. 1. police brutality and community policing the role of america's police forces has become
controversial in recent years and it is no surprise that discussion of the police in
america's public schools has as well in schools where resource officers are present how students
interact with them is one source of controversy students retain their rights protecting them from
a legal search the right to remain silent and other rights when dealing with law enforcement
officials yet failing to comply with the requests of the school resource officer makes students
liable for disciplinary action in some communities in many states parents and the general public have
questioned the wisdom of having police officers in the schools where they act not only to prevent
crime and protect students from potential harm but also as counselors as class has discussed the
role of the police in the wake of incidents of police brutality which rapidly gain viral status
on social media school resource officers find themselves ostracized the aclu released findings
in 2017 the black students are more often charged with crimes on school grounds than other students
several states pushed by organizations such as the pta nea and the national association of school
psychologists have debated reforming the presence and support of their school resource officers
in their education systems though all support their presence they seek better standards and
training to improve their relationships with the students with whom they interact as with all the
issues presented here the influence of police officers in primary and secondary education
is and for the foreseeable future will be a source of controversy in american education