Trump administration officials within the Department of Education revealed that they dismissed several complaints related to so-called “book bans” submitted under the Biden administration.
The agency said in a release that the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights dismissed the claims because they “alleged that local school districts’ removal of age-inappropriate, sexually explicit, or obscene materials from their school libraries created a hostile environment for students,” which the agency called “a meritless claim premised upon a dubious legal theory.”
Biden administration officials also appointed a “book ban coordinator” position within the Department of Education to investigate schools and parents “working to protect students from obscene content.” The new leadership at the Department of Education eliminated that position.
Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, said that the agency adheres to the “American principle that local control over public education best allows parents and teachers alike to assess the educational needs of their children,” adding that “parents and school boards have broad discretion to fulfill that important responsibility.”
Many conservative parents and lawmakers note that progressive activists support the presence of sexually explicit books in classrooms, especially those with themes of questioning sexual identity or experiencing homosexual attraction, and therefore call for the removal of the books.
Nicki Neily, the founder of Parents Defending Education, commended the actions from the Trump administration and referenced her previous testimony on the purported “book bans.”
“I ask you to read some of these explicit paragraphs and look at these sexual images with your children or your grandchildren, and then tell your constituents whether you consider such content educational,” she challenged lawmakers who promote the narrative. “As a society, we don’t put Playboy in kindergartens. This isn’t considered a ‘book ban,’ but common sense.”
