‘Romeo & Juliet’ Censored by Florida School District
metroweekly.comlaw has led some administrators to censor any content that is sexual in nature unless it pertains to an academic standard.The Hillsborough County School District determined that many of Shakespeare’s works deal with or allude to sexuality (not to mention those works that contain cross-dressing characters), and should therefore be edited.
As a result, some of the Bard’s classics, like Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet, now have been barred from the classroom, with students only reading excerpts of the plays in order to meet basic curriculum standards.The district said that teachers who violate the content restrictions for English classes could be subject to disciplinary action or have a complaint filed against them by a parent who believes the books or plays are “inappropriate” for minors to read.If a student wishes to read the censored plays in their entirety, they’ll have to pursue other ways of obtaining the texts on their own time, such as by seeking them out at a public library or privately-owned bookstore not subject to state regulation.Previously, English classes in the district required students to read at least two novels or plays during the school year.
Now, students will read one novel and excerpts from five to seven books or plays, reports the Tampa Bay Times.The district argued that the redesigned curriculum was to ensure students were prepared for a new set of state exams covering an array of books and writing styles. “We need to make sure our students are prepared with enough material during the year so they will be prepared for their assessments,” district spokeswoman Tanya Arja told the Times, noting that with excerpts, schools can avoid exposing students to any racy or sexual content.“It was also in.
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