The (Book) Battle of Watauga

The Constitution protects the fundamental right of parents to rear and educate their children as they see fit.

It also protects the free speech rights of teachers and students.

And, somewhere in this mix is the important concept of academic freedom, which makes the courts reluctant to second-guess the educational choices of teachers.

Sometimes, all of these rights and interests seem to conflict, and the result is a struggle over the banning of a book - perhaps from a public school library or from the school's curriculum.

And that's just what happened at Watauga High School in Boone, North Carolina.