To the Editor:

Open Letter to the Newtown Public Schools Board of Education:

I am writing to you as a parent of an upper classman at NHS (my other child has already graduated and left the NPS system), as a citizen of Newtown, and someone who is opposed to censorship.

As our school board, I am sure you know the most challenged and/or restricted reading materials have been books for children. Book challenges are not simply an expression of one singular point of view. This is an attempt to remove materials from public use, thereby restricting the access of others. Although the motivation to ban or challenge these books is well intentioned, the outcome is detrimental for everyone. Censorship denies us our freedom as individuals to choose, think for ourselves, and parent in a manner consistent with individual family values, ie, my children, not yours, not theirs. For children, decisions about what books to read should be made by the people who know them best — their parents!

Over the years, the NPS system has been a differentiating factor when new families are looking to set down roots. We all can appreciate the dedication of all the professionals who are involved and strive to ensure every child in Newtown leaves our system with a good education. As our school board, we look to your leadership in ensuring our librarians and teachers are provided the tools and authority to do their jobs. Censorship — book banning in particular — tears at the fabric of our community and threatens the sovereignty of our educators to faithfully execute their job for the benefit of all children and our community.

We also do our children a disservice.

As a parent and citizen, I implore you to please advocate for the rights of all. It is your job, and we need you to stand up, actively reaffirm, and uphold, the rights for all our children to enjoy the possibility to borrow, read, and talk about books, literature.

Without a good education, without good leadership, and access provided to you by librarians and teachers, you would not have made it to where you are. Now it is time for you to do the same for our young people. We need to ensure our children have access to all sorts of materials to become well-grounded and rounded adults; supporting them in building a world they want to pass on to their children.

Cynthia Gaffney

Newtown