The U.S. Department of Education called the national battle against book bans — which started with a complaint about one of Georgia’s largest school systems — a “hoax” in the days after Donald Trump was sworn in as president. It recently dismissed 11 federal complaints on the topic.
“Because this is a question of parental and community judgement, not civil rights, OCR has no role in these matters,” a news release from the U.S. Department of Education stated, referring to its Office of Civil Rights.
The first complaint related to book banning was filed in 2022 against the Forsyth County School District, the department said. The OCR also released Forsyth from an agreement it entered then to avoid federal intervention.
Book banning is usually defined as restricting access to a book based on its content. A series of controversial book bans have sparked controversy across the metro Atlanta area in recent years, and at least one Georgia teacher was fired after reading a book that challenged gender norms to her students.
The Forsyth County School District removed eight books from middle and high school libraries in 2022, in answer to complaints that they were sexually explicit. Many of the books were by authors of color and dealt with race, gender identity and sexual orientation. After an in-depth review, the district restored seven of the books but only on high school shelves. The district permanently removed the eighth book, “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” a memoir about growing up Black and queer.
The district’s book review process may have created a “hostile environment,” the OCR determined under the Biden-Harris administration after receiving a complaint about the book removals.
The district headed off a potential court case by agreeing to a resolution with the federal government, which mostly required the district to communicate that it promotes diversity and would address concerns of any students who feel otherwise. Forsyth has about 55,000 students, the fifth-largest enrollment in Georgia.
The agreement has been dissolved as top Trump officials push to separate the federal government from any initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We are very pleased that the Office of Civil Rights has dismissed the baseless charges levied in 2022,” Forsyth County Superintendent Mitch Young said in an emailed statement. “Our school system has always strived to provide an environment in which all students and families feel safe, connected and empowered to thrive. We were doing this prior to 2022 and will continue to do so in the years to come.”
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