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Dept. of Education ends investigations into book bans. Are you concerned?
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education dismissed 11 investigations on book banning in schools and libraries. Are you concerned about department's stance?
On Friday, President Donald Trump’s Department of Education (DOE) announced it had dismissed 11 complaints of “so-called ‘book bans’” and ended “Biden’s book ban hoax.”
The DOE’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in schools, also dismissed six additional pending allegations of book banning, rescinded all department guidance about how the removal of books from schools and libraries may violate civil rights laws, and said it would no longer employ a book ban coordinator tasked with investigating such cases, according to a statement. Former president Joe Biden had implemented a book ban coordinator in September 2023 as part of his administration’s efforts to address discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans and other marginalized groups.
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“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,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a statement.
According to the department’s statement, incoming Trump administration OCR attorneys had begun reviewing the 17 book banning cases on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. The department said the attorneys “quickly confirmed books are not being ‘banned,’ but that school districts…have established commonsense processes by which to evaluate and remove age-inappropriate materials.”
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“Because this is a question of parental and community judgment, not civil rights, OCR has no role in these matters,” the statement said.
Advocacy and free speech groups were quick to critique the DOE’s statement and stance on book banning investigations. The American Library Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes libraries and library education, said the the Department of Education’s statement “advances the demonstrably false claim that book bans are not real.”
“Book bans are real…The new administration is not above the U.S. Constitution. Federal judges have repeatedly ruled that removing books from school library shelves based on the objections of a person or group, or due to prejudice against a group – book banning– is unconstitutional censorship that violates students’ First Amendment rights,” the ALA said in a statement.
PEN America, a nonprofit focused on the protection of free expression, counted more than 10,000 instances of school book bans in the 2023-2024 school year. In many cases, books that are removed from schools share similarities, such as featuring LGBTQ characters and/or discussing race and racism in American history.
PEN America said in a statement that the 17 cases investigated by the OCR involved the removal of books with LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, and whether the act of banning books created a hostile environment for students from marginalized communities.
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“Book bans in United States public school classrooms and libraries are no hoax,” the organization said in the statement. PEN America’s Freedom to Read Director Kasey Meehan called the announcement “truly alarming.”
“This kind of language from Washington – from the federal government – is truly alarming and dismissive of the students, educators, librarians, and authors who have firsthand experiences of censorship in classrooms and school libraries,” Meehan said in the statement.
In 2023, we asked Boston.com if they were concerned about book challenges in schools and libraries, and 54% of the 409 people polled said they were worried.
Now, as incoming President Trump’s Department of Education has dismissed all book banning cases and deemed them “meritless,” we want to know: Are you concerned about the stance and language the DOE using regarding book bans? If you’re a student, teacher, or parent, we want to know what you make of their statement.
Tell us by filling out the form or e-mailing us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.
Trump's DOE said it ended "Biden’s book ban hoax." Are you concerned?
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