And the Banned Plays On

S.B. 226 also allows for “each local board of education [to] adopt a complaint resolution policy for its local school system” that must include common components such as a written complaint to the principal, a seven-day turnaround period for review and investigation of the text, and an additional three days for conferring the principal’s final decision on the fate of the book to the parent or permanent guardian.

In the Georgia Law Review, Brianna Yates writes that “[f]ollowing this determination, the school board has 30 days to hear any appeals regarding the principal’s decision, and the decision to ban a book should be posted to the school’s website. Thus, S.B. 226 expedites the timeline associated with banning books in Georgia schools, causing concern that this sped-up process will lead to hasty decisions made in response to outspoken parents.”