Political parties are in constant disputes, people are fighting for their rights and wants, and lawmakers are receiving extreme criticism and backlash from Americans. As Donald Trump reclaims his spot as the American President, we can only wonder, what ideologies and policies will come along with it? 

Just as any political figure, Trump is constantly questioned for what he will truly accomplish for the country. Presidential debates consist of promises and proposals, and Trump this year had his fair share. Many policies were declared by Trump which he wishes to enforce when he becomes president. Deporting undocumented immigrants, moves on the economy, cutting climate regulations, ending the Ukraine War, and no Abortion ban are some big moves he wants to make. But there is so much more that will affect individual communities and demographics. 

More specifically, classroom censorship. As censorship laws spread, a toll is taken on school cultures, climates, and academic levels. In May of 2022, there was a shooting of ten black people in New York. The shooter, white. During this time, there was only a week and a half left of school and 5th grade social studies teachers shared, “We were given very specific instructions not to talk about it, not to bring it up…not to even mention it” (Henning 2022). It is said that classrooms are most regulated on the “role of race and racism in American history and contemporary life,” which should be equally and thoroughly taught throughout the educational system, as it is America’s history (K-12 DIVE 2022). The restrictions placed on school environments to hide history from students is unacceptable. It is understandable that racism’s past is painful to look at and learn, but it does not take away from its importance. In order to comprehend the country, learn from the past, and see how far America has come, we must continue the teachings of these tough topics. 

In addition to the harmful hiding of racist backgrounds in America, there is also censorship of other ‘controversial’ topics.

Currently, there are eleven States that have “laws censoring discussions of LGBTQ people or issues in school”. Teachers and students are placed in difficult situations because of these laws retraining educational topics. NBC News discusses a teacher in Florida who was approached by a student after seeing a small pride flag in the classroom. The student asked the blunt question, “Are you gay”? A simple question that could be answered with a possible yes or no answer. But the teacher felt scared that his answer may be ‘illegal’ so he responded, “I don’t think I can answer that…it’s kind of the State law now”. The fear this teacher held in this innocent moment is a snap into reality. Why should educational figures be scared to teach? It is not fair to the students, the system, or our future.

Here in California, Canyon Hills High School, we are an extremely inclusive and well educated community. Though some people have different ideologies, the majority of our school remains equally welcoming. This is partly because of the fact that California is one of only eight States that has not introduced classroom censorship bills. We see the difference in communities, States and cities and how some are clearly more welcoming than others. The censorship of classroom education is restricting children from fully understanding the world as a whole. To know the good, you must understand the difficult past this country has gone through. We must do what we can as a school and as a community to educate others without demeaning them or debating.  Lucky enough to live in a State that teaches us the truth, we must continue to spread it and work towards a well educated society.