Professor Barry McDonald Quoted in "Constitutional Law Experts Reveal Differing Opinions on School Library Debate" -- Opportunity Now Magazine

Professor Barry P. McDonald is quoted in the Opportunity Now magazine article, "Constitutional Law Experts Reveal Differing Opinions on School Library Debate." The article asks legal experts whether parents have the right to request or demand that books be removed from public school libraries.

Excerpt from "Constitutional Law Experts Reveal Differing Opinions on School Library Debate"

Barry P. McDonald, Pepperdine University Constitutional Law Professor:

Parents always have the right to make such requests, but a school would not be obligated to cater to individual requests. A more appropriate question might be this: If parents prevailed on school administrators or board members to order certain books banned, what free speech rights might objecting students or parents have?

The SCT has only dealt with this very issue in one case. It was a highly fractured decision. My guess is that the current court would put some burden on the board to demonstrate that certain books were inappropriate for minors for reasons other than personal dislike, but likely defer to the board's decisions the younger the student was.

The complete article may be found at Opportunity Now