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He Department of Education has dismissed 11 complaints related to “book bans” and eliminated a Biden-era position tasked with investigating school districts and parents, the agency announced Friday.
The department said it was ending Biden’s “book ban hoax” regarding complaints alleging that 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,” which investigated school districts and parents “working to protect students from obscene content.”
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The Department of Education has dismissed 11 complaints regarding so-called book bans. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“By dismissing these complaints and eliminating the position and authorities of a so-called ‘Book Ban Coordinator,’ the department is beginning the process of restoring the fundamental rights of parents to direct their children’s education,” said Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights CRAIG Trainor.
“The department adheres to the deeply held American principle that local control over public education best enables parents and teachers to assess the educational needs of their children and communities.
“Parents and school boards have broad discretion in carrying out that important responsibility,” Trainor added. “The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.”
Six pending indictments were also dismissed.
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The United States Department of Education Building on August 21, 2024 in Washington, DC (Tierney L. Cross)
The DOE called the book’s removals “Meritless” and based “upon a dubious legal theory.” The agency began investigating the complaints on Jan. 20, finding that school districts and parents have “established common-sense processes to evaluate and remove age-inappropriate materials.”
The first complaint was filed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on February 23, 2022, against the Forsyth County School District in Georgia. The plaintiff alleged that the district violated Title IX and Title VI by removing eight books from the school library because they contained sexually explicit content, the DOE said.
OCR’s Atlanta office It sought to dismiss the complaint, but the Biden administration overturned the determination that the complaint had no merit, the agency said. The school district agreed to a resolution under the threat of further federal intervention, officials said.
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“This included requiring the district to post a statement at all of its middle and high schools embracing diversity, equity and inclusion,” OCR said. “The Department will terminate the agreement and any obligations under it.”
