Author: Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration’s U.S. Education Department said on Friday it had dismissed 11 complaints related to book bans by local school districts that the department received during the Biden administration.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Free speech advocacy group PEN America notes that books are “under deep attack” in the US, adding that it counted more than 10,000 book bans in public schools in the 2023-24 school year. In recent years, several bills passed in Republican-controlled states have sought to restrict the books.
PEN America says the books most targeted by such bans are those by authors of color, LGBTQ+ writers and women who deal with issues of racism, sexuality, gender and history. Proponents of the restrictions say the move restricts age-inappropriate content.
KEY QUOTE
The Department of Education said Friday it launched a review of pending cases at the department after Republican U.S. President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20 to succeed Democratic former President Joe Biden.
“Attorneys were quick to confirm that the books were not ‘banned,’ but that school districts, in consultation with parents and community stakeholders, have established common-sense processes to evaluate and remove age-inappropriate material,” the department said in a statement.
CONTEXT
In 2023, Biden announced a coordinator to train schools on how to deal with book bans and the impact they have on LGBTQ children. The Department of Education said Friday it would eliminate the position.
Trump has signed executive orders aimed at eliminating diversity programs, including those at the Department of Education. Civil rights advocates say such programs address historical inequality against marginalized groups.
