the Department of Education It dismissed 11 “book ban” complaints and eliminated a Biden-era position charged with investigating school districts and parents, the agency announced Friday.
The department said it had ended Biden's “book ban hoax” in connection with complaints that alleged the removal of age-inappropriate, sexually explicit or obscene materials from school libraries created a hostile environment for students.
It also eliminated the “Book Ban Coordinator” who was investigating school districts and parents “working to protect students from obscene content.”
The Ministry of Education rejected 11 complaints regarding the so-called book ban. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“By dismissing these complaints and eliminating the position and powers of the so-called ‘Book Ban Coordinator,’ the Department begins the process of restoring the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children’s education,” said the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Civil Rights. Trainor.
“The Department is committed to the deeply American principle that local control of public education allows parents and educators alike to assess the educational needs of their children and their communities.
“Parents and school boards have broad discretion to fulfill this important responsibility,” Trainor added. “These decisions will no longer be second-guessed by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.”
Six outstanding claims were also dismissed.
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The US Department of Education building on August 21, 2024, in Washington, DC (Tierne El Croce)
The Department of Energy called the book removals “baseless” and based on a “questionable legal theory.” The agency began investigating the complaints on Jan. 20, finding that school districts and parents “have established reasonable processes by which age-inappropriate materials can be evaluated and removed.”
The first complaint was filed with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on February 23, 2022, against the Forsyth County School District. In Georgia. The complainant alleged that the district violated Titles IX and VI by removing eight books from the school library because they contained sexually explicit content, the Department of Education said.
OCR office in Atlanta The agency said it sought to dismiss the complaint, but the Biden administration overturned a ruling that the complaint was meritless. The school district agreed to the decision under the threat of further federal intervention, officials said.
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“This included requiring the district to disseminate a statement in all of its middle and high schools that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion,” the Office for Civil Rights said. “The Ministry will terminate the agreement and any obligations under it.”
