National Women's Law Center Files Civil Rights Complaints Against Georgia and Florida School Districts for Censoring Inclusive Books

WASHINGTON, DC, May 13, 2024 - Today, the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), urging an investigation into Georgia's Cobb County School District and Florida's Collier County Public School District for creating a hostile environment for students through practices that include censoring books and learning materials that feature, tell the stories of, or are written by LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.

Those school districts have also disciplined some teachers for giving students access to inclusive books, intimidating teachers into censoring the books they assign and the lessons they teach. These bans have directly contributed to a hostile environment for LGBTQIA+ students and students of color by making these students feel targeted, unwelcome, and unsafe at school by suggesting that their identities and experiences are inappropriate or unacceptable.

NWLC's complaints allege the school districts violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"Across our races and backgrounds, Georgians want our young people to have the freedom to learn, to be themselves, and to grow up safe. Censorship of books sends a message to students of color and LGBTQIA+ students that they do not belong, that they are not safe to be who they are, and that they do not deserve to be reflected in what they read and learn," said Melody Oliphant, Executive Director of the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, a grassroots, student-led organization advocating for LGBTQIA+ youth and youth of color. "As a result of Cobb County School District targeting books and stories about race, racism, and LGBTQIA+ identity, students feel unwelcome and under attack by their school district."

"These bans make us feel like our identities are invalidated, and like the school board does not view us as equals,'' said a Cobb County high school student who did not want to provide their name in fear of retaliation. "And the school board banning books hasn't just negated our identities, but it has created fear in all students especially Black, brown, and LGBTQIA+ students that they are not safe to go to school every day."

"Students shouldn't feel unsafe because of a school board policy. As students, we just want to be accepted and feel like we belong," said a Collier County high school student, who also feared retaliation for speaking out.

"The incidents of censorship of inclusive books in Cobb County and Collier County School Districts are just two examples of a wider trend of censorship in schools across the country in recent years. This trend is driven by extremists as part of a coordinated plan to erase representation of students of color and LGBTQIA+ students' in the classroom and prevent all young people from learning accurate history and understanding their own experiences," said Hunter Iannucci, Counsel for Education & Workplace at the National Women's Law Center.

"As students have bravely recounted, these bans are part of a pattern of behavior by district leadership that make schools hostile places for them, especially students of color and LGBTQIA+ students. We urge OCR to take swift action and require Cobb County and Collier County to address the hostile educational environment that they have created by targeting the removal of these books. All students should have access to a safe and supportive educational environment, which means ensuring they get to see themselves reflected in what they read and learn," said Josia Klein, Counsel for Education & Workplace Justice at the National Women's Law Center.

Among the recommendations in the complaints, NWLC asks OCR to require the school districts to:

• Restore all books that were banned because they feature people of color or LGBTQIA+ people or discuss race or LGBTQIA+ identity.
• Refrain from removing any books in the future because they feature people of color or LGBTQIA+ people or discuss race or LGBTQIA+ identity.
• Clarify in school district mission statements and policies that they value diversity and are committed to ensuring safe, inclusive, and supportive campuses free from discrimination.
• Ensure students understand how to report incidents of harassment and discrimination with their schools and with OCR.
• Rectify their policies and practices contributing to a hostile environment for students of color and LGBTQIA+ students through recommendations listed in the complaints.

The complaints can be read online here

The National Women's Law Center fights for gender justice in the courts, in public policy, and in our society working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us especially those who face multiple forms of discrimination, including women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families. For more than 50 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women. Find out more at NWLC.org.