Forsyth County Schools in Georgia has agreed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to solicit student input on removing books from its school libraries, an OCR press release said.
"I thank Forsyth County Schools for assessing and responding to the needs of the students who may have felt subjected to a hostile environment as a result of the library book screening process and for ensuring that, going forward, it will take appropriate action regarding acts of harassment that create a hostile environment based on sex, race, color or national origin," said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.
The school district agreed to issue a statement to students explaining the book removal process, “offer supportive measures to students who may have been impacted by that process,” survey students on whether additional steps are needed, and “implement ongoing monitoring until OCR is satisfied that the federal laws at issue are satisfied,” the press release said.
The OCR said it had investigated whether removing certain books created a hostile environment for students based on sex, race, color, or national origin, as outlined in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The district had received complaints from parents and community members who considered some library books inappropriate due to their sexually explicit content. "In addition, communications at the district school board meetings conveyed the impression that books were being screened to exclude diverse authors and characters, including people who are LGBTQI+ and authors who are not white, causing students to express concerns about the impact of the book removals," the press release said.
A parent group had also requested that LGBTQI+ books be separated and shelved differently in school libraries.
OCR investigated after receiving a complaint that the district's library book removal practices had "created a racially and sexually hostile environment for students," the release said. "OCR investigates every complaint over which it has jurisdiction and resolved this investigation on the specific facts in this district. School and other libraries routinely operate policies to determine which books to offer their members; this district's policy not only did not raise Title VI or Title IX concerns but specifically was designed to ensure diverse and inclusive offerings to students in the district," the release said.
However, OCR's investigation identified concerns that “the district's responsive steps related to the library book screening process were not sufficient to ameliorate any resultant racially and sexually hostile environment,” the release said.