Conflict and censorship in public education amid a divisive political environment will be discussed at a Community Forum to be presented online on Friday April, 14 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

John Rogers, a Ph.D. Professor of Education and Director of the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA), will present the topic Defending Public Education and a Diverse Democracy. He will be joined by Lauren Gill, President of the Conejo Valley Unified School District Board of Education, and Betsy Connolly, a past School Board member, who will talk about the local education environment. Also speaking will be Michelle Nelson-Schmidt, an author and illustrator of children's books, who has seen some of her works banned in Florida.

Rogers and his colleagues at IDEA conducted a nationwide survey of high school principals last year, finding that 69 percent reported substantial political conflict over hot button issues that are playing a chilling role in education. In the survey, 50 percent of principals said parents or community members sought to limit or challenge teaching about issues of race and racism, 48 percent reported conflicts over policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ student rights, and 39 percent cited efforts to limit access to books in the school library. Principals said that at times, parents and community members engaged in anti-democratic practices such as spreading misinformation and employing threatening, denigrating and violent rhetoric.

PEN America, an organization that tracks efforts to limit freedom of expression, reports on its website that since January of 2021, 193 bills have been introduced in 41 states intended to restrict teaching and training in schools, colleges, state agencies and institutions regarding discussion of race , racism, gender and American history.

The online event is presented by Chalice Community Forum, a program of Chalice Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Conejo Valley. For a Zoom link to the free forum, register online at forum.chaliceuu.org. For information, visit that website or contact Randall Edwards by e-mail at forum@chaliceuu.org or through the church office at (805) 498-9548.