Petitioning the "RFH Reading Assignments, Rumson NJ 07760" Petition

I don't feel that books that contain great knowledge should be taken out of the curriculum. These students are in high school and if they can't handle "bad" words, then they aren't going to mature or be ready for college. Parents should focus more on the knowledge they are gaining and not the few "bad" words these books contain.

RFH Class of 1968. What planet are these dim bulbs from?

Amazing to see how far around the country and world our alum have spread to as well!

The Color Purple

If you think your kids don't see worse things on the Internet, you are out of touch with today's youth! Helicopter parents need to stop interfering with education. Signed, an RFH Alum and current parent of a student

Ban one book, ban them all. Kids can learn from the ideas you find controversial!

Banning books is as ignorant as it is ineffective. One previously banned work I enjoyed was "The Canterbury Tales." I had an entire literary analysis course dedicated to that work. Clearly, it was not banned for a lack of literary quality. There is a famous quote attributed to Aristotle that expresses our sentiments well, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Sheilding your children from different perspectives, from an educational perspective, does much more harm than good. If you want your children to recognize what you feel to be morally wrong, as such, then they must be capable of looking directly at something and say "that is wrong." If stigma, mystery and censorship surround something, especially for a teen, it becomes forbidden fruit. Which realistically speaking, defeats the purpose of going through all this trouble.

I am grateful for the education I received at RFH, particularly for those books that took me outside of our little bubble. It is a mistake to think that censoring what high school students read is "protecting" them. Censoring the RFH reading list would simply encourage narrow thinking. Let students read texts that force them think, make them uncomfortable, and thrust them outside of their comfort zone.

Banning books undermines the very purpose of education in a free society.

Sometimes a good education means stepping into the uncomfortable. Thanking RFH for students past and hoping the best for the future.

500 signatures... In less than 24 hours. Pretty special everyone. Keep RFH Parents from banning books. Write principal Dr. Tracy Handerhan ([email protected])

Ignorance.! They are reading specific lines from classic texts completely out of context. The place to read and discuss these issues is in a classroom where appropriate conversation and guidance is ensured.

censhorship of books shelters children

If you want to get kids to read a particular book, ban it. That's why I read Catcher in the Rye.

Over protective parents needs to reevaluate their lives

Truly shocked to hear that the banning of books still exists in our day and age and at my high school, no less. I was extremely lucky to have four wonderful English teachers while at RFH. The experiences that I had in each of those classes, including the books that we read, many of which were banned, shaped me into the person that I am today. Not just on an intellectual level but on a personal level as well. It deeply saddens me that future students of RFH might not be able to have the same experience that I had. I always think back on my time at RFH fondly but this definitely leaves a sour taste in my mouth. This is 2015. Books should not be banned.

I love thes passionate and articulate comments from RFH graduates. They are the exact reason why keeping these books are important. They have awaken their minds and broaden their interests in reading and life.

Just get rid of native son that book was weird

This is still America right

STOP the banning of books in its tracks!