A Georgia school district's book bans may have caused a hostile environment, feds say

A school district's book screening process didn't violate civil rights laws — but it should have done a better job of handling the process, the U.S. Department of Education says. (Terry Vine/Getty Images)

The Department of Education has found that a Georgia school district may have created a hostile environment for students by banning certain books from its libraries, the agency's Office of Civil Rights said.

In late 2021, several parents complained at school board meetings that Forsyth County Schools were carrying books with LGBTQ+ and sexually explicit content. Opponents of the bans said the district's book screening process deliberately left out non-white and LGBTQ+ authors, the Department of Education said in its memo released late last week.