ED dismisses complaints on book bans as ‘hoaxes’ The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has said it is dismissing 11 complaints related to school district book bans and will no longer investigate what it referred to as “Biden’s book ban hoax.”

In a Jan. 24 press release, the Office for Civil Rights announced that it has dismissed 11 complaints that alleged that local school districts’ removal of materials from their school libraries created a hostile environment for students.

The Office for Civil Rights also said it has rescinded all department guidance issued under the theory that a school district’s removal of age-inappropriate books from its libraries may violate civil rights laws. The office also said it will no longer employ a “book ban coordinator” to investigate local school districts and “parents working to protect students from obscene content.”

“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 Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor, in a news release. “The department adheres to the deeply rooted American principle that local control over public education best allows parents and teachers alike to assess the educational needs of their children and communities. Parents and school boards have broad discretion to fulfill that important responsibility. These decisions will no longer be second-guessed by the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.”

Kasey Meehan, director of Freedom to Read at PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to freedom of expression, said book bans are not a hoax.

“This kind of language from the U.S. Department of Education is alarming and dismissive of the students, educators, librarians, and authors who have firsthand experiences of censorship happening within school libraries and classrooms,” Meehan said.

Since 2021, Freedom to Read has recorded nearly 16,000 instances of book bans nationwide — where access to books is revoked from their intended readers — often without following commonsense processes and increasingly due to censorial legislation from states.

“We will continue to raise awareness and resistance to ongoing book bans in defense of students’ freedom to read,” Meehan said in an online statement. “All students deserve to see themselves and the world around them reflected in the books shelved within their public schools.”

Testifying on post-pandemic education ACSA Past President Parvin Ahmadi, who is also superintendent of Castro Valley Unified School District, testified on Feb. 12 before the Assembly Education Committee. She spoke about how her district handled the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned, such as the importance of adaptability and prioritizing student wellness.