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Harry Potter Challenger Appeals to Georgia State BoardThe parent who unsuccessfully sought the removal of the Harry Potter series from the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Schools’ libraries appealed to the state Board of Education October 3. Laura Mallory told a hearing officer for the state board that the books promote witchcraft, citing studies showing that some children who have read them have attempted to cast spells or have become interested in Wicca.“Witchcraft is being mainstreamed to our children today,” said Mallory. “My children are the most precious thing in the world to me. I surely do not want them to be indoctrinated into a religion whose practices are evil.” But Gwinnett school board attorney Victoria Sweeny said the Potter books encourage children to read, noting that they are clearly “fantasy fiction” and are shelved in the fiction section of school libraries. Suggesting that the banning of the series could lead to the removal of such classics as some of Shakespeare’s plays, The Wizard of Oz, and the Lord of the Rings series, she said, “When you start removing books and access to ideas, you’d pretty soon have no use for a media center,” the Lawrenceville Gwinnett Daily Post reported October 4. The officer who presided over the hearing will make a recommendation to the board, whose decision is expected in December. Posted October 6, 2006. |
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