Following the uproar created by a local parent’s attempts to censor children’s reading in Weymouth and the school’s initial decision to remove it from the curriculum, the academy has now made the following announcement.
‘After meeting with the school today we are pleased to announce that students WILL be able to benefit from reading The Hate U Give.
The school has completed a thorough review of where The Hate U Give CAN fit appropriately into the reading program and DO have plans to REINSTATE it.
The school underscores that the book was never banned and has remained available in the library for all students during the review period.
Additional details about its integration into the reading program will be shared with students and families once finalised.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support.’
This is a victory for all those who oppose authoritarianism and the war against free speech. Given the irony that the right wing has made a lot of noise about cancel culture, it now appears that they have adopted it as part of their ongoing ideological attack on the UK, the USA and beyond.
Many, including the book’s publisher, criticised the decision and the campaign to remove it from the curriculum.
Thankfully, sense has prevailed.
