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‘Biden’s Book Ban Hoax’: Department of Education claims book bans are a ‘hoax’ and dismisses all complaints

The fear that book bans would worsen under Donald Trump’s presidency has become a reality. The Department of Education announced it is dismissing book ban complaints as a hoax and will withdraw all guidance and investigation into the issue.

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It’s indisputable that unconstitutional book bans have skyrocketed across the U.S. in recent years. During the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America recorded a 200% increase in school book bans and over 10,000 incidents of bans nationwide. The book-banning movement is part of a right-wing effort to censor children from anything that does not align solely with the conservative agenda. The most frequently targeted books feature diverse characters and elevate BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices. To defend banning books, conservatives have pushed the false argument that they’re removing pornographic and obscene books from schools. However, most books banned do not meet the U.S. Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity because they have educational and literary value. The books conservatives laughably claim are hardcore pornography range from literary classics to children’s picture books about penguins.

Book bans are harming schools in more ways than one. Serial book banners and conservative politicians desperate to get rid of every single book they personally dislike are destroying the American school system by enforcing unconstitutional censorship, wasting billions in resources, and creating unsafe environments for their students and staff. However, the Department of Education doesn’t see this as a problem.

Department of Education dismisses book bans as ‘hoax’

Less than a week into Trump’s second presidency, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (ORC) issued a press release dismissing book bans as “Biden’s Book Ban Hoax.” In the press release, it announced it was dismissing 11 complaints and six pending allegations related to book bans. The release regurgitates conservatives’ argument that they’re “removing age-inappropriate, sexually explicit, or obscene materials from their school libraries.” As a result, the ORC is rescinding all guidance on book ban matters and has eliminated its Book Ban Coordinator position, meaning it will no longer investigate any school district over book banning complaints.

The press release claims that “attorneys” viewed the pending complaints and found that “books are not being banned” but that schools are allegedly working with “parents and community stakeholders” to “remove age-inappropriate materials.” Schools nationwide relied on the ORC to investigate book bans violating federal civil rights laws. The ORC Book Ban Coordinator also provided vital school training nationwide to identify such civil rights violations. Now, the Department of Education is essentially telling schools that they are on their own and that book bans don’t even exist.

The American Library Association quickly issued a scathing response to the press release, stating, “In their cruel and headlong effort to terminate protections from discrimination for LGBTQIA+ students and students of color, the Department of Education advances the demonstrably false claim that book bans are not real.” It states that “book bans are real,” as evidenced by children unable to access reading material required by college or the numerous librarians and school officials have been fired for trying to protect students’ right to read. The ALA also pointed out that federal judges have already “repeatedly ruled that removing books from school library shelves based on the objections of a person or group … is unconstitutional censorship that violates students’ First Amendment rights.” It emphasizes that Trump’s administration “is not above the U.S. Constitution.”

It would be quite interesting to see the new administration try to explain how Utah’s statewide book bans aren’t actually book bans or how the conservatives who threaten to bomb elementary school children over LGBTQ+ books and file 900 book complaints each are not engaging in book banning through intimidation and being public nuisances. However, the claim that book bans are a “hoax” isn’t the only falsehood in the press release. It also claims that withdrawing ORC involvement gives “parents and educators” the right to determine what their children read. In reality, book bans do the opposite — they often allow as little as one conservative extremist to determine what every parent’s child in the entire school district or even the entire state is allowed to read. Of course, this is precisely what the Trump administration wants: a handful of conservatives across the country to decide what everyone reads with no interference from the ORC.


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Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is a Staff Writer for The Mary Sue, who frequently covers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, literature, and celebrity news. She has over three years of experience in the digital media and entertainment industry, and her works can also be found on Screen Rant, JustWatch, and Tell-Tale TV. She enjoys running, reading, snarking on YouTube personalities, and working on her future novel when she's not writing professionally. You can find more of her writing on Twitter at @RachelUlatowski.