DBS CODE: 6144 DBS CODE: 6144INSTRUCTION:
Controversial Issues:
Free discussion of controversial issues is the heart of the democratic process. Freedom of speech and free access to information are among our most cherished traditions.
In the study of controversial issues, within the framework of our curriculum in the Somers Public Schools, the student has at least four rights to be recognized:
1. The right to study controversial issues of interest to students, which have political, economic, psychological or social significance.
2. The right to have free access to all relevant information.
3. The right to study under competent instruction in an atmosphere free from bias and prejudice.
4. The right to form and express his/her own opinions on controversial issues without thereby jeopardizing the student's relations with the teacher or the school.
The study of controversial issues is objective and scholarly, with a minimum emphasis on opinion. The teacher approaches controversial issues in the classroom in an impartial and unprejudiced manner, and must refrain from using classroom privileges and prestige to promote a partisan point of view.
Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes
31-51q Liability of employer for discipline or discharge of employee on account of employee's exercise of certain constitutional rights.
Keyishian v. Board of Regents 395 U.S. 589, 603 (1967)
Academic Freedom Policy (adopted by Connecticut State Board of Education, 9/9/81)
Adopted: May 14, 1979
Reviewed: June 29, 1998
November 7, 2005
July 9, 2009
June 24, 2024