Full Breakdown
Cobb County School District Removes Toni Morrison’s *The Bluest Eye* from Library Shelves
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Removal of the Novel
Cobb County School District announced that Toni Morrison’s 1970 novel *The Bluest Eye* will no longer be available in any of the district’s media centers. The district serves roughly 100,000 students.
Background & Context
The removal marks the 37th title taken off Cobb County shelves since 2023, according to the *Atlanta Journal-Constitution*. The district’s policy allows parents or staff to flag titles for a separate administrative review when the material is deemed sexually explicit, rather than using Georgia’s standard parent-challenge process.
Timeline
- July 23 2026 – At a board meeting, Superintendent Ragsdale read an excerpt describing the rape of an 11-year-old girl by her father and announced the removal.
- September 17 2026 – The district posted the decision online and confirmed that *The Bluest Eye* had been taken from all media centers.
Data & Statistics
- Student population: ? 100,000 students.
- Books removed since 2023: 37 titles.
- Books removed since 2024 (per CBS): 30 titles, including *This Book Is Gay* and *American Psycho*.
- Previous challenges: *The Bluest Eye* has appeared on the American Library Association’s list of most-challenged books in 2006, 2013, 2014, 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Official Statements & Responses
Ragsdale argued that “the words speak for themselves” and that, as both a father and superintendent, he cannot expect parents to explain such material without their knowledge. The board’s chairman, Randy Scamihorn, said the district is not “banning” books; parents who wish their children to read the novel can purchase it independently.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the total number of titles removed: the *Atlanta Journal-Constitution* reports 37 books banned as of mid-September 2026, while CBS News cites 30 titles removed since 2024. Neither outlet provides a comprehensive list of the removed titles, leaving the full scope of the district’s culling effort unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Both as a father and as a superintendent, I think about a parent having to explain to their sixth-grade daughter after she encounters explicit descriptions of child incest and rape in a book provided at school, without parents' knowledge,” — County Superintendent Chris Ragsdale
- “And there's not a single classroom in our school district that will show a rated R movie during class to students,” — County Superintendent Chris Ragsdale
- “Schools are not required to stock every published work. They already restrict internet access, movies, and other materials for age-appropriateness,” — Tina Descovich, Moms for Liberty CEO and co-founder
- “While that particular part of a book can be really difficult to read and to sit with and grapple with, what we continue to point to is that books are not harmful, censorship is,” — Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Director at PEN America, criticized the decision and
- “While it may seem like it's one book, censorship is a slippery slope, and it never actually ends with just one book or one title,” — Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Director at PEN America, criticized the decision and