CA school district bans the dictionary. Seriously.

Uh oh, I see the word ‘vagina’  *faints*

I know we covered this in yesterday’s What We Missed, but I just had to give it a bit more ink.  The Menifee, California school district has pulled all copies of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary because it contains definitions for “oral sex.”

And now, the school district is forming a committee to decide whether dictionaries that contain sexual terms should be permanently banned from classrooms.

The decision was made without consultation with the district’s school board and has raised concerns among First Amendment experts and some parents.

Other parents and Menifee residents, though, have praised the district’s decision, saying a collegiate-level dictionary is inappropriate for younger children.

A memo from the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction this week called the Merriam-Webster dictionary a respected resource but noted district officials found that “a number of referenced words are age-inappropriate.”

Goodness knows we wouldn’t want children learning the accurate definitions for words they’re probably hearing all the time from their peers. Better that they stick with “blow job” and “fucking.” Information isn’t dangerous, overzealous parents and schools are.

Via Shakesville.