Parent seeks to have Harry Potter removed from school libraries
A Gwinnett County, Georgia parent is seeking to have the Harry Potter book series removed from school libraries. Laura Mallory contends the books are harmful to children and promote the Wicca religion. After the Gwinnett County School Board unanimously rejected her request, she appealed to the Georgia State Board of Education (GBOE). During testimony before a GBOE hearing officer, Mrs. Mallory cited studies showing that some children who have read Harry Potter books or seen movie adaptations have become interested in witchcraft, to the point of attempting to cast spells. She also testified that an organization called the Pagan Federation has attributed an increase in interest in the group among young people to the books. "When my children are at school, I'm trusting them to the teachers and that school," Mrs. Mallory said. "They are my most precious things in the entire world to me. I surely don't want them indoctrinated into a religion whose practices are evil." She also pointed to research by the American Academy of Pediatrics that found young children cannot readily distinguish fantasy from reality and try to imitate what they’ve read.
The local board’s attorney, Victoria Sweeny, responded that the Harry Potter books are clearly "fantasy fiction’’ and are kept in the fiction section of school libraries. Defending their literary value, Ms. Sweeney noted the books provide reading material rich in vocabulary, with such wholesome themes as the triumph of good over evil and the power of a mother’s love. She also suggested that to ban Harry Potter from school media centers could lead to the removal of such classics as some of William Shakespeare’s plays, as well as The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia series. "When you start removing books and access to ideas, you would pretty soon have no use for a media center," she concluded. The hearing officer will issue a recommendation to GBOE, which is expected rule in December on whether the local school board acted properly in refusing to ban the books.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Laura Diamond
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Gwinnett Daily Post
By Dave Williams
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[Editor’s Note: A U.S. district court in Florida recently blocked the Miami-Dade County School Board from removing a travelogue series from its schools’ libraries. The court concluded that the board had engaged in impermissible viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. See below.]
[NSBA School Law pages on ACLU v. Miami-Dade County School Board]