“To Kill a Mockingbird” was just banned in these schools

Banning literary classics from schools is a major issue, even if their content makes some uncomfortable. But that’s exactly what’s happening at schools in Virginia. After a formal complaint by a parent, To Kill a Mockingbird  faces suspension in Accomack schools.

The parent filed a complaint against both Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of racial slurs used in the books.

As a result, schools are pulling To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn from classrooms and libraries based on the Accomack County Public Schools policy manual.

 The manual states that the principal, the library media specialist, the classroom teacher, a parent and/or student, and the person who filed the complaint will get together to review the books, according to DelmarvaNow. In the meantime, the books face suspension, pending a verdict on their permanent fate.

"We have a committee looking at all of this, said Chris Holland, Accomack's superintendent. “There’s been no recommendation right now."

Some sort of racial slur appears 219 times in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and 48 times “To Kill a Mockingbird.” We get that racial slurs are terrible, demeaning and are incredibly hurtful. But when they’re used in an educational format, we think they’re really important to accurately teach kids about history and the atrocities that took place.

If we protect our kids from the reality of our nation’s history, we are doing a major injustice to them and to our country.