Harry Potter continues to face challenges in public school systems. Most often, this challenges are brought by conservative Christian parents who are concerned that the book contains "witchcraft", i.e., wizards and witches, magic, and sorcery.

Want to get involved? Here’s how:

On April 20, a hearing officer designated by the Gwinnett County Board of Education will hear testimony from the complainant and from school system officials. The hearing will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Hearing Room A at Lawrenceville East (located at 723 Hi-Hope Road in Lawrenceville).

Any Gwinnett County citizen who wishes to speak on behalf of or in opposition to the challenged books must submit a written request to do so. Requests must be received no later than 48 hours before the hearing. They may be mailed to the Superintendent’s Office, Gwinnett County Public Schools, 437 Old Peachtree Road, NW, Suwanee, GA 30024-2978, or may be faxed to 678-301-6030.

Incident Details:

BOOK: Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

DATE: April 2006

LOCATION: Lawrenceville, GA

DISTRICT: Gwinnett County Public Schools: http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/ 

CHALLENGERS: Laura Mallory (parent)

COMPLAINT: witchcraft

TEACHER/LIBRARIAN:

GRADE LEVEL: Gwinnett Public Schools (all levels)

A local parent demands that a library to ban Harry Potter from its shelves, saying “I want to protect children from evil, not fill their minds with it,” Mallory said. “The ‘Harry Potter’ books teach children and adults that witchcraft is OK for children.” (4/21/06, Gwinnett Daily Post)