CUMMING, Ga. (AP) 鈥� When Allison Strickland urged a suburban Atlanta school board in June to remove four books from school libraries, she was following a path cleared by Georgia鈥檚 Republican lawmakers.
But after Georgia law took effect Jan. 1, The Associated Press found few book challengers are using it.
One key element restraining complaints: The law only allows parents of current students to challenge books.
Although not new, since 2020, part of a Conservatives want to stop children from reading books with themes on sexuality, gender, race and religion that they find objectionable. PEN America, a group promoting freedom of expression, counted 4,000 instances of books banned nationwide from July 2021 to December 2022.
But while fights are ongoing in Forsyth County, where Strickland was protesting, at least 15 other large Georgia districts surveyed by AP said they have received no demands to remove books under the law.
Georgia conservatives last year aimed to ease book challenges. But lawmakers knew a parents-only restriction would also limit them.
鈥淲e are not going to turn this bill into a weapon for every taxpayer to harass the school system,鈥� said state Rep. James Burchett, a Republican from Waycross, during a 2022 hearing.
Still, some books are disappearing. Kasey Meehan, PEN America鈥檚 Freedom to Read director, said some schools are removing books even before parents ask. That鈥檚 happened in Forsyth County, where documents obtained by AP show a librarian 鈥渨eeded鈥� two books Strickland was protesting from another high school鈥檚 library, just before they were challenged there.
Those who object to books say Georgia鈥檚 law is being interpreted too narrowly and removing books should be easier. In most states anyone can challenge a book, not just parents, Meehan said. But some districts elsewhere also limit protests over books to parents.
The Georgia law may be preventing widespread challenges by a handful of conservative activists. complaints nationwide are largely 鈥� who sometimes aren鈥檛 parents.
Forsyth County, a fast-growing suburb with 54,000 students, has been a hotbed for conservative agitation over public education.
A parent of two West Forsyth High School students, Strickland complained in March about sexually explicit books, attaching excerpts from BookLooks. passages that its writers consider objectionable. Strickland was working with the , a group recruiting book challengers.
Strickland targeted four novels: 鈥淒ime,鈥� by E.R. Frank, in which a girl is lured into prostitution; 鈥淭ilt,鈥� by Ellen Hopkins, in which a 17-year-old girl gets pregnant and a 16-year-old boy falls in love with an HIV-positive boy; 鈥淧erfect,鈥� another Hopkins book about teens facing unrealistic expectations; and 鈥淥ryx and Crake,鈥� by , about a plague that kills most humans.
The principal examined the books, as legally required. In April, a Forsyth principal sided with a complaint, removing 鈥淭he Nerdy and the Dirty鈥� by B.T. Gottfred. But the West Forsyth principal concluded the books Strickland targeted should remain on shelves. She appealed to the school board.
鈥淭here is not one educational thing to be had from any of these books,鈥� Strickland told board members, saying the books 鈥渞un the gamut of child prostitution, forced rape, pedophilia, bestiality, sodomy, drug and alcohol abuse, all of very young minor children, often with adult partners.鈥�
Others dissented, including T.J. McKinney, a departing teacher at a Forsyth middle school. She said students need to see their struggles reflected in books, and it鈥檚 pointless to shield older students from vulgarity or sex.
鈥淭he book is not introducing kids to sex. If you鈥檙e in high school, they鈥檙e having sex,鈥� McKinney said. 鈥淭hey are not learning this from books.鈥�
Forsyth Superintendent Jeff Bearden supported the principal鈥檚 recommendation to keep the books, as he did twice earlier. But the law requires the board to decide.
In April, board members backed administrators, retaining 鈥淓ndlessly Ever After,鈥� a choose-your-own-adventure fairy tale. But in May, the board overruled Bearden and required advance parental consent before students could read Gottfred鈥檚 鈥淭he Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy.鈥�
Faced with Strickland鈥檚 challenges in June, board members also required parental approval for the four books. The compromise left many unhappy.
鈥淢embers of the board, I ask you, are you really going to compromise on child pedophilia?鈥� asked Mama Bears leader Cindy Martin before the vote. 鈥淚f the answer is yes, then what will you compromise on next?鈥�
鈥淚 see it as a loss,鈥� McKinney said after the meeting. 鈥淭he students still don鈥檛 have a right to choose their own books.鈥�
Forsyth County was once a rural locale where white mobs into fleeing in 1912. But suburban growth made it well-educated, affluent and diverse. Only 47% of Forsyth students were white and non-Hispanic last year.
But it鈥檚 also heavily Republican, and crowds attacked the system鈥檚 diversity, equity and inclusion plan in 2021. Agitation bled over into book protests. from libraries in early 2022. They would later return all except 鈥淎ll Boys Aren鈥檛 Blue,鈥� George M. Johnson鈥檚 memoir of growing up queer.
Opponents organized against the bans. High school student Shivi Mehta said she wants libraries to 鈥渟tay whole.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to have some books locked away,鈥� Mehta said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to have books that I can鈥檛 read or can鈥檛 have access to because a group of politicians said I couldn鈥檛.鈥�
Critics continued reading explicit book excerpts at board meetings, urging removal. After telling a Mama Bears member to stop, the board banned her from speaking at meetings. The Mama Bears sued, and in November, a federal judge ruled the policy . The district paid $107,000 in lawyer鈥檚 fees.
Others complained to the U.S. Department of Education that the district was excluding stories about people not white or straight. In a May warning, may have created a hostile environment violating federal laws against race and sex discrimination, 鈥渓eading to increased fears and possibly harassment鈥� among students.
The district settled the complaint, agreeing to explain the book removal process, offer 鈥渟upportive measures鈥� and survey students about the issue.
But while federal government concerns may restrain administrators, the fight isn鈥檛 over.
鈥淚 think the momentum to ban or restrict books is not going away anytime soon,鈥� Mehta said.
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The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
