Banning books: Censorship in Puerto Rican schools

The government of Puerto Rico and the Department of Education imposed censorship on five literary works in the 11th grade Spanish curriculum during the 20092010 school year. The government's decision and process to censor the five books was analyzed using the legal and constitutional tools available to the citizens of Puerto Rico. A legal and historical document analysis performed was used to examine the government's actions to determine if the Puerto Rican students' constitutional rights to free speech and access to education were upheld throughout the censorship process. The social and educational consequences of literary censorship in the school curriculum for the public education system in Puerto Rico were explored.Puerto Rican students showed a lack of knowledge of the legal resources available to them to guarantee the maintenance of their constitutional rights. As a consequence, the government's decision to censor the five books was never analyzed from a legal perspective or denounced as a violation of the students' rights. Puerto Rican students appear to be unaware of the legal precedents available to judge the government's censorship decision. The lack of legal knowledge allows the government to enforce unilateral decisions that affect the students' educational experiences. However, as long as the Department of Education and the government continue to approve educational measures that restrict, instead of enhance, Puerto Rican students will remain oblivious about their legal and constitutional rights.