This statement, prepared by the National Council of Teachers of English, addresses the increasing problem of censorship in the public schools in the form of pressure to restrict or deny students access to certain books or periodicals deemed objectionable by individuals or groups on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical grounds. The first section of the statement discusses the right to read and the English teacher, pointing out that virtually any work used in the classroom could be the subject of often arbitrary and irrational censorship. The next section contains an open letter to citizens from NCTE, providing a rationale against censorship, discussing why censorship is a threat to education, and what the community's responsibilities are in supporting free inquiry. The third section, addressed to teachers of English, librarians, and school administrators, provides a program of action for schools dealing with censorship, including procedures for book selection, suggestions for enlisting the support of the community, procedures for defending books under criticism, and a sample form for citizen's request for reconsideration of a work used in the curriculum. A selected bibliography concludes the statement. (HTH)